System and method for high precision multi-aperture spectral imaging

ABSTRACT

Generally described, one or more aspects of the present application correspond to systems and techniques for spectral imaging using a multi-aperture system with curved multi-bandpass filters positioned over each aperture. The present disclosure further relates to techniques for implementing spectral unmixing and image registration to generate a spectral datacube using image information received from such imaging systems. Aspects of the present disclosure relate to using such a datacube to analyze the imaged object, for example to analyze tissue in a clinical setting, perform biometric recognition, or perform materials analysis.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/988,064, filed Aug. 7, 2020, entitled, “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HIGHPRECISION MULTI-APERTURE SPECTRAL IMAGING”, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 16/738,910, filed Jan. 9, 2020, entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HIGH PRECISION MULTI-APERTURE SPECTRAL IMAGING,”which is a continuation of PCT/US2019/065818, filed Dec. 11, 2019,entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HIGH PRECISION MULTI-APERTURE SPECTRALIMAGING,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/780,121 filed Dec. 14, 2018, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HIGHPRECISION MULTI-APERTURE SPECTRAL IMAGING,” and U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/818,375, filed Mar. 14, 2019, entitled “SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR HIGH PRECISION MULTI-APERTURE SPECTRAL IMAGING,” all ofwhich are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entiretyand for all purposes.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED R&D

Some of the work described in this disclosure was made with UnitedStates Government support under Contract No. HHS0100201300022C, awardedby the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA),within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness andResponse in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Some ofthe work described in this disclosure was made with United Governmentsupport under Contract Nos. W81XWH-17-C-0170 and/or W81XWH-18-C-0114,awarded by the U.S. Defense Health Agency (DHA). The United StatesGovernment may have certain rights in this invention.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The systems and methods disclosed herein are directed to spectralimaging, and, more particularly, to high precision spectral imaging viaa multi-aperture imaging system.

BACKGROUND

The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of wavelengths or frequenciesover which electromagnetic radiation (e.g., light) extends. In orderfrom longer wavelengths to shorter wavelengths, the electromagneticspectrum includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared (IR) light, visiblelight (that is, light that is detectable by the structures of the humaneye), ultraviolet (UV) light, x-rays, and gamma rays. Spectral imagingrefers to a branch of spectroscopy and photography in which somespectral information or a complete spectrum is collected at locations inan image plane. Multispectral imaging systems can capture multiplespectral bands (on the order of a dozen or less and typically atdiscrete spectral regions), for which spectral band measurements arecollected at each pixel, and can refer to bandwidths of about tens ofnanometers per spectral channel. Hyperspectral imaging systems measure agreater number of spectral bands, for example as many as 200 or more,with some providing a continuous sampling of narrow bands (e.g.,spectral bandwidths on the order of nanometers or less) along a portionof the electromagnetic spectrum.

SUMMARY

The multispectral imaging systems and techniques disclosed herein haveseveral features, no single one of which is solely responsible for itsdesirable attributes. Without limiting the scope as expressed by theclaims that follow, certain features of the disclosed spectral imagingwill now be discussed briefly. One skilled in the art will understandhow the features of the disclosed spectral imaging provide severaladvantages over traditional systems and methods.

One aspect relates to a multispectral image system comprising at leastone image sensor; a first aperture positioned to allow incoming light topass to a first sensor region of the at least one image sensor; a secondaperture positioned to allow incoming light to pass to a second sensorregion of the at least one image sensor; a first multi-bandpass filterpositioned over the first aperture, wherein the first multi-bandpassfilter is configured to allow passage of light in at least a commonwaveband and a first unique waveband; a second multi-bandpass filterpositioned over the second aperture, wherein the second multi-bandpassfilter is configured to allow passage of light in at least the commonwaveband and a second unique waveband; a memory storing instructions forgenerating a multispectral datacube; and at least one processorconfigured by the instructions to at least: receive signals from thefirst and second sensor regions; and process the signals to generate themultispectral datacube, wherein the multispectral datacube includes afirst spectral channel corresponding to the common waveband, a secondspectral channel corresponding to the first unique waveband, and a thirdspectral channel corresponding to the second unique waveband; whereinprocessing the signals comprises at least: estimating, using informationfrom the first spectral channel corresponding to the common waveband, adisparity between first image data captured by the first sensor regionand second image data captured by the second sensor region; and usingthe disparity to align the image data of the first, second, and thirdspectral channels to generate the multispectral datacube.

In some embodiments, the first multi-bandpass filter is positioned infront of a lens of the multispectral image system, behind a lens of themultispectral image system, inside a lens of the multispectral imagesystem, or directly onto a surface of an element of a lens of themultispectral image system. In some embodiments, the at least oneprocessor is configured by the instructions to at least perform spectralunmixing to generate image data for each of the first, second, and thirdspectral channels. In some embodiments, the multispectral image systemfurther comprises a color filter array covering the first and secondsensor regions, the color filter array including a repeating pattern ofcolor filters; wherein a first color filter of the repeating pattern isconfigured to pass a first weighted distribution of wavelengths of lightincluding the common waveband; wherein a second color filter of therepeating pattern is configured to pass a second weighted distributionof wavelengths of light including the first unique waveband; and whereina third color filter of the repeating pattern is configured to pass athird weighted distribution of wavelengths of light including the secondunique waveband. In some embodiments, the common waveband comprises atleast one of violet, violet-blue, blue, or blue-green light. In someembodiments, the common waveband comprises light having a wavelengthshorter than 450 nm and longer than 380 nm. In some embodiments, thecommon waveband comprises green light. In some embodiments, the commonwaveband comprises red light. In some embodiments, the first and secondmulti-bandpass filters are each configured to pass a second commonwaveband comprising at least one of green, blue-green, or blue light. Insome embodiments, the first and second multi-bandpass filters are eachconfigured to pass a second common waveband comprising red light. Insome embodiments, the first and second multi-bandpass filters are eachconfigured to pass a second common waveband that is unfiltered by atleast one of the color filters patterned in the color filter array thatalso does not filter the first common waveband. In some embodiments, theat least one processor is configured by the instructions to at leastperform spectral unmixing to isolate portions of captured image datacorresponding to the common waveband and the second common waveband. Insome embodiments, the at least one processor is configured by theinstructions to at least analyze imaged tissue using the multispectraldatacube.

In some embodiments, the multispectral image system further comprises athird aperture positioned to allow incoming light to pass to a thirdsensor region of the at least one image sensor; a fourth aperturepositioned to allow incoming light to pass to a fourth sensor region ofthe at least one image sensor; a third multi-bandpass filter positionedover the third aperture, wherein the third multi-bandpass filter isconfigured to allow passage of light in at least a common waveband and athird unique waveband; and a fourth multi-bandpass filter positionedover the fourth aperture, wherein the fourth multi-bandpass filter isconfigured to allow passage of light in at least the common waveband anda fourth unique waveband. In some embodiments, the multispectral imagesystem further comprises a fifth aperture positioned to allow incominglight to pass to a fifth sensor region of the at least one image sensor;and a fifth multi-bandpass filter positioned over the third aperture,wherein the fifth multi-bandpass filter is configured to allow passageof light in at least one waveband passed by at least one of the firstmulti-bandpass filter, the second multi-bandpass filter, the thirdmulti-bandpass filter, or the fourth multi-bandpass filter. In someembodiments, the multispectral image system comprises: up to 25 totalapertures positioned to allow incoming light to pass and up to 25 totalsensor regions of the at least one image sensor; and up to 25multi-bandpass filters each positioned over one of the 25 totalapertures, wherein each multi-bandpass filter is configured to allowpassage of light in at least a common waveband and a unique waveband forwhich none of the other multi-bandpass filters are configured to allowpassage; wherein the total number of wavebands that are allowed to passis more than four and less than 51. In some embodiments, themultispectral image system further comprises a third aperture positionedto allow incoming light to pass to a third sensor region of the at leastone image sensor; and a third multi-bandpass filter positioned over thethird aperture, wherein the third multi-bandpass filter is configured toallow passage of light in at least one waveband passed by at least oneof the first multi-bandpass filter or the second multi-bandpass filter.In some embodiments, the first, second, third, and fourth multi-bandpassfilters collectively pass seven, eight, nine, or ten distinct wavebandsincluding the common waveband and the first, second, third, and fourthunique wavebands. In some embodiments, the first, second, third, andfourth multi-bandpass filters are each configured to pass the commonwaveband comprising blue light, an additional common waveband comprisinggreen light, and two additional wavebands. In some embodiments, the atleast one processor is configured by the instructions to at leastgenerate the multispectral datacube to include ten spectral channelscorresponding to the seven, eight, nine, or ten distinct wavebands.

In some embodiments, the multispectral image system further comprises anillumination board comprising a plurality of light-emitting diodes(LEDs) configured to emit light in the seven, eight, nine, or tendistinct wavebands, wherein individual LEDs emit light at a particularone of the seven, eight, nine, or ten distinct wavebands. In someembodiments, the at least one image sensor comprises a color filterarray positioned over photodiodes of the at least one image sensor, andwherein the color filter array has at least two different color filters.In some embodiments, the color filter array has more than two differentcolor filters and not more than 25 different color filters. In someembodiments, the seven, eight, nine, or ten distinct wavebands comprisesnarrower ranges of light than are passed by the three different colorfilters. In some embodiments, the multispectral image system furthercomprises at least one light source configured to emit light at thecommon waveband, the first unique waveband, and the second uniquewaveband. In some embodiments, the multispectral image system furthercomprises a diffusing optical element positioned over the at least onelight source. In some embodiments, at least the first multi-bandpassfilter is a curved filter.

Another aspect relates to a method of using any one of the multispectralimage systems described herein to generate the multispectral datacube,the method comprising capturing a first exposure comprising the first,second, and third spectral channels; capturing a second exposurecomprising the first, second, and third spectral channels; andgenerating the multispectral datacube based at least partly on using thesecond exposure to reduce a signal to noise ratio of the first exposure.In some embodiments, the method further comprises activating a set ofilluminants that collectively emit light at the common waveband, thefirst unique waveband, and the second unique waveband during the firstand second exposures. In some embodiments, the first exposure and thesecond exposure each comprise at least a fourth spectral channel and notmore than ten total spectral channels. In some embodiments, the methodfurther comprises capturing a third exposure using ambient light; andsubtracting the third exposure from the first and second exposures. Insome embodiments, the method further comprises generating themultispectral datacube based on a result of subtracting the thirdexposure from the first and second exposures. In some embodiments, themethod further comprises registering images captured by the first andsecond sensor regions to one another based on information in the firstspectral channel. In some embodiments, the method further comprisesgenerating the multispectral datacube based on a result of registeringthe images captured by the first and second sensor regions to oneanother. In some embodiments, the images represent information capturedin the first spectral channel by the first and second sensor regions,the method further comprising identifying a disparity between the imagescaptured by the first and second sensor regions in the first spectralchannel corresponding to the common waveband; using the disparity toregister a first additional image to the images, the first additionalimage representing information captured by the first sensor region inthe second spectral channel; and using the disparity to register asecond additional image to the images, the second additional imagerepresenting information captured by the second sensor region in thethird spectral channel. In some embodiments, each exposure comprisesmore than three spectral channels, the method further comprising usingthe disparity to register at least a third additional image to theimages, the third additional image representing information captured bya third sensor region in the fourth spectral channel, wherein a totalnumber of additional images registered to the images is one less thanthe total number of spectral channels. In some embodiments, themultispectral image system further comprises an illuminant configured toproject one or more points, fringes, grids, random speckle, or otherspatial pattern, the method further comprising projecting, by theilluminant into the field of view of the at least one imaging sensor,light comprising one or more points, fringes, grids, random speckle, orother spatial pattern; and capturing an additional exposure using thelight projected by the illuminant, wherein the registering is based atleast in part on the additional exposure. In some embodiments, the lightprojected by the illuminant comprises at least one of light having awavelength in the common waveband, broadband illumination, orcumulatively visible illumination. In some embodiments, the additionalexposure is used to confirm the accuracy of the registration of theimage. In some embodiments, the additional exposure is included in thecalculation of the disparity to improve the accuracy of theregistration. In some embodiments, the illuminant projects a pluralityof points, fringes, grids, random speckle, or other spatial patterns inunique configurations in at least the common waveband, broadbandillumination, or cumulatively visible illumination to further improvethe accuracy of the registering. In some embodiments, the multispectralimage system further comprises an additional sensor configured to detectthe shape of objects in the field of view of the at least one imagingsensor, and the registering is based at least in part on a shapedetected by the additional sensor. This additional sensor may be asingle-aperture sensor or a multi-aperture sensor, sensitive tolight-field information, or it may be sensitive to other signals, suchas ultrasound or pulsed lasers. In some embodiments, the method furthercomprises performing spectral unmixing to isolate the first, second, andthird spectral channels. In some embodiments, each exposure comprisesmore than three spectral channels, the method futher comprisingperforming spectral unmixing to isolate all of the spectral channels. Insome embodiments, the method further comprises using the disparity todetermine at least one of topographic information or depth information.In some embodiments, the disparity is used to determine depthinformation for individual pixels. In some embodiments, the methodfurther comprises using the depth information to determine a volume ofan imaged wound. In some embodiments, the method further comprisescapturing an additional exposure comprising at least a fourth spectralchannel representing non-visible light; and generating the multispectraldatacube based at least partly on the additional exposure. In someembodiments, the method further comprises activating a third set ofilluminants that emit the non-visible light during the additionalexposure.

Another aspect relates to a method of automated tissue analysis, themethod comprising using any one of the multispectral image systemsdescribed herein to generate the multispectral datacube representingimaged tissue; providing the multispectral datacube as input to amachine learning system trained to predict at least one clinicalcharacteristic of tissue; and predicting the at least one clinicalcharacteristic of the imaged tissue based on an output of the machinelearning system.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating themultispectral datacube using the multispectral datacube generationmethods described herein. In some embodiments, the at least one clinicalcharacteristic includes a plurality of wound states or burn states, themethod further comprising using the output of the machine learningsystem to generate a classified image of the imaged tissue showing areasof the imaged tissue classified into different ones of the plurality ofwound states or burn states. In some embodiments, for example, theplurality of burn states include at least first degree burn, seconddegree burn, third degree burn, or healthy skin categories, the methodfurther comprising classifying each of a plurality of pixels depictingthe imaged tissue as one of the first degree burn, second degree burn,third degree burn, or healthy skin categories. In some embodiments, forexample, the plurality of wound states include at least hemostasis,inflammation, proliferation, remodeling or healthy skin categories, themethod further comprising classifying each of a plurality of pixelsdepicting the imaged tissue as one of the hemostasis, inflammation,proliferation, remodeling or healthy skin categories. In someembodiments, the at least one clinical characteristic includes a healingpotential, the method further comprising using the output of the machinelearning system to generate an image of the imaged tissue that visuallydepicts determined healing potential at different areas of the imagedtissue. In some embodiments, the at least one clinical characteristicincludes a cancerous or non-cancerous state of the imaged tissue, themethod further comprising classifying each of a plurality of pixelsdepicting the imaged tissue as either the cancerous or non-cancerousstate. In some embodiments, the at least one clinical characteristicincludes wound depth, the method further comprising outputtinginformation identifying a depth of a wound in the imaged tissue. In someembodiments, the at least one clinical characteristic includes a marginfor debridement, the method further comprising outputting informationidentifying the margin for debridement in or around a wound in theimaged tissue. In some embodiments, the at least one clinicalcharacteristic includes a diabetic, non-diabetic, or chronic ulcer. Insome embodiments, the at least one clinical characteristic includes adiabetic foot ulcer.

Another aspect relates to a method of automated biometric recognition,the method comprising using any one of the multispectral image systemsdescribed herein to generate the multispectral datacube representing abiometric feature of a user; providing the multispectral datacube asinput to a machine learning system trained to authenticate a particularbiometric feature; and authenticating or rejecting the user based on anoutput of the machine learning system.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating themultispectral datacube using any one of the multispectral datacubegeneration methods described herein.

Another aspect relates to a method of automated materials analysis, themethod comprising using any one of the multispectral image systemsdescribed herein to generate the multispectral datacube representing animaged material; providing the multispectral datacube as input to amachine learning system trained to determine one or more materialscharacteristics; and determining the one or more materialscharacteristics of the imaged material based on an output of the machinelearning system.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating themultispectral datacube using any one of the multispectral datacubegeneration methods described herein.

Another aspect relates to a method comprising capturing imageinformation using a multi-aperture handheld imaging device comprising atleast one image sensor region having a color filter array, wherein theimage information includes a greater number of channels than a number ofcolor filter colors in the color filter array; and processing the imageinformation into a multispectral datacube including the number ofchannels, wherein the each of number of channels represents light in adifferent waveband spanning approximately 40 nm or less, but not zero.

In some embodiments, the multi-aperture handheld imaging devicecomprises any one of the multispectral image systems described herein.In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating themultispectral datacube using the method of any one of the multispectraldatacube generation methods described herein.

Another aspect relates to a method comprising using any one of themultispectral image systems described herein generate the multispectraldatacube; and processing the multispectral datacube using the at leastone processor of the multispectral image system to determine at leastone characteristic of an object represented by the multispectraldatacube.

In some embodiments, further comprises generating the multispectraldatacube using any one of the multispectral datacube generation methodsdescribed herein.

Another aspect relates to a method comprising using any one of themultispectral image systems described herein to generate themultispectral datacube; transmitting the multispectral datacube to atleast one remote processor over a network; and processing themultispectral datacube using the at least remote one processor todetermine at least one characteristic of an object represented by themultispectral datacube. In some embodiments, the method furthercomprises generating the multispectral datacube using any one of themultispectral datacube generation methods described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates an example of light incident on a filter atdifferent chief ray angles.

FIG. 1B is a graph illustrating example transmission efficienciesprovided by the filter of FIG. 1A for various chief ray angles.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example of a multispectral image datacube.

FIG. 2B illustrates examples of how certain multispectral imagingtechnologies generate the datacube of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C depicts an example snapshot imaging system that can generate thedatacube of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A depicts a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical design ofan example multi-aperture imaging system with curved multi-bandpassfilters, according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3B-3D depict example optical designs for optical components of onelight path of the multi-aperture imaging system of FIG. 3A.

FIGS. 4A-4E depict an embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 5 depicts another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 6A-6C depict another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 7A-7B depict another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 8A-8B depict another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 9A-9C depict another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 10A-10B depict another embodiment of a multispectralmulti-aperture imaging system, with an optical design as described withrespect to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 11A-11B depict an example set of wavebands that can be passed bythe filters of the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systems of FIGS.3A-10B.

FIG. 12 depicts a schematic block diagram of an imaging system that canbe used for the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systems of FIGS.3A-10B.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example process for capturing image datausing the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systems of FIGS. 3A-10B.

FIG. 14 depicts a schematic block diagram of a workflow for processingimage data, for example image data captured using the process of FIG. 13and/or using the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systems of FIGS.3A-10B.

FIG. 15 graphically depicts disparity and disparity correction forprocessing image data, for example image data captured using the processof FIG. 13 and/or using the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systemsof FIGS. 3A-10B.

FIG. 16 graphically depicts a workflow for performing pixel-wiseclassification on multispectral image data, for example image datacaptured using the process of FIG. 13, processed according to FIGS. 14and 15, and/or using the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systems ofFIGS. 3A-10B.

FIG. 17 depicts a schematic block diagram of an example distributedcomputing system including the multispectral multi-aperture imagingsystems of FIGS. 3A-10B.

FIGS. 18A-18C illustrate an example handheld embodiment of amultispectral, multi-aperture imaging system.

FIGS. 19A and 19B illustrate an example handheld embodiment of amultispectral, multi-aperture imaging system.

FIGS. 20A and 20B illustrate an example multispectral, multi-apertureimaging system for a small USB 3.0 enclosed in a common camera housing.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example multispectral, multi-aperture imagingsystem including an additional illuminant for improved imageregistration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally described, the present disclosure relates to spectral imagingusing a multi-aperture system with curved multi-bandpass filterspositioned over each aperture. The present disclosure further relates totechniques for implementing spectral unmixing and image registration togenerate a spectral datacube using image information received from suchimaging systems. The disclosed technology addresses a number ofchallenges that are typically present in spectral imaging, describedbelow, in order to yield image data that represents precise informationabout wavelength bands that were reflected from an imaged object. Insome embodiments, the systems and methods described herein acquireimages from a wide area of tissue (e.g., 5.9×7.9 inches) in a shortamount of time (e.g., within 6 seconds or less) and can do so withoutrequiring the injection of imaging contrast agents. In some aspects, forexample, the multispectral image system described herein is configuredto acquire images from a wide area of tissue, e.g., 5.9×7.9 inches,within 6 seconds or less and, wherein said multispectral image system isalso configured to provide tissue analysis information, such asidentification of a plurality of burn states, wound states, healingpotential, a clinical characteristic including a cancerous ornon-cancerous state of the imaged tissue, wound depth, a margin fordebridement, or the presence of a diabetic, non-diabetic, or chroniculcer in the absence of imaging contrast agents. Similarly, in some ofthe methods described herein, the multispectral image system acquiresimages from a wide area of tissue, e.g., 5.9×7.9 inches, within 6seconds or less and said multispectral image system outputs tissueanalysis information, such as identification of a plurality of burnstates, wound states, healing potential, a clinical characteristicincluding a cancerous or non-cancerous state of the imaged tissue, wounddepth, a margin for debridement, or the presence of a diabetic,non-diabetic, or chronic ulcer in the absence of imaging contrastagents.

One such challenge in existing solutions is that captured images cansuffer from color distortions that compromise the quality of the imagedata. This can be particularly problematic for applications that dependupon precise detection and analysis of certain wavelengths of lightusing optical filters. Specifically, color shading is a positiondependent variation in the wavelength of light across the area of theimage sensor, due to the fact that transmittance of a color filtershifts to shorter wavelengths as the angle of light incident on thefilter increases. Typically, this effect is observed ininterference-based filters, which are manufactured through thedeposition of thin layers with varying refractive indices onto atransparent substrate. Accordingly, longer wavelengths (such as redlight) can be blocked more at the edges of the image sensor due tolarger incident light ray angles, resulting in the same incomingwavelength of light being detected as a spatially non-uniform coloracross the image sensor. If left uncorrected, color shading manifests asshift in color near the edges of the captured image.

The technology of the present disclosure provides advantages relative toother multi-spectral imaging systems on the market because it is notrestrictive in the configuration of lens and/or image sensors and theirrespective fields of view or aperture sizes. It will be understood thatchanges to lenses, image sensors, aperture sizes, or other components ofthe presently disclosed imaging systems may involve other adjustments tothe imaging system as would be known to those of ordinary skill in theart. The technology of the present disclosure also provides improvementsover other multi-spectral imaging systems in that the components thatperform the function of resolving wavelengths or causing the system as awhole to be able to resolve wavelengths (e.g., optical filters or thelike) can be separable from the components that transduce light energyinto digital outputs (e.g., image sensors or the like). This reduces thecost, complexity, and/or development time to re-configure imagingsystems for different multi-spectral wavelengths. The technology of thepresent disclosure may be more robust than other multi-spectral imagingsystems in that it can accomplish the same imaging characteristics asother multi-spectral imaging systems on the market in a smaller andlighter form factor. The technology of the present disclosure is alsoadvantageous relative to other multi-spectral imaging systems in that itcan acquire multi-spectral images in a snapshot, video rate, or highspeed video rate. The technology of the present disclosure also providesa more robust implementation of multi-spectral imaging systems based onmulti-aperture technology as the ability to multiplex several spectralbands into each aperture reduces the number of apertures necessary toacquire any particular number of spectral bands in an imaging data set,thus reducing costs through a reduced number of apertures and improvedlight collection (e.g., as larger apertures may be used within the fixedsize and dimensions of commercially available sensor arrays). Finally,the technology of the present disclosure can provide all of theseadvantages without a trade-off with respect to resolution or imagequality.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a filter 108 positioned along the pathof light towards an image sensor 110, and also illustrates lightincident on the filter 108 at different ray angles. The rays 102A, 104A,106A are represented as lines which, after passing through the filter108, are refracted onto the sensor 110 by a lens 112, which may also besubstituted with any other image-forming optics, including but notlimited to a mirror and/or an aperture. The light for each ray ispresumed in FIG. 1A to be broadband, for example, having a spectralcomposition extending over a large wavelength range to be selectivelyfiltered by filter 108. The three rays 102A, 104A, 106A each arrive atthe filter 108 at a different angle. For illustrative purposes, lightray 102A is shown as being incident substantially normal to filter 108,light ray 104A has a greater angle of incidence than light ray 102A, andlight ray 106A has a greater angle of incidence than light ray 104A. Theresulting filtered rays 102B, 104B, 106B exhibit a unique spectrum dueto the angular dependence of the transmittance properties of the filter108 as seen by the sensor 110. The effect of this dependence causes ashift in the bandpass of the filter 108 towards shorter wavelengths asthe angle of incidence increases. Additionally, the dependence may causea reduction in the transmission efficiency of the filter 108 and analtering of the spectral shape of the bandpass of the filter 108. Thesecombined effects are referred to as the angular-dependent spectraltransmission. FIG. 1B depicts the spectrum of each light ray in FIG. 1Aas seen by a hypothetical spectrometer at the location of sensor 110 toillustrate the shifting of the spectral bandpass of filter 108 inresponse to increasing angle of incidence. The curves 102C, 104C, and106C demonstrate the shortening of the center wavelength of thebandpass; hence, the shortening of the wavelengths of light passed bythe optical system in the example. Also shown, the shape of the bandpassand the peak transmission are altered due to the angle incidence aswell. For certain consumer applications, image processing can be appliedto remove the visible effects of this angular-dependent spectraltransmission. However, these post-processing techniques do not allow forrecovery of precise information regarding which wavelength of light wasactually incident upon the filter 108. Accordingly, the resulting imagedata may be unusable for certain high-precision applications.

Another challenge faced by certain existing spectral imaging systems isthe time required for capture of a complete set of spectral image data,as discussed in connection with FIGS. 2A and 2B. Spectral imagingsensors sample the spectral irradiance I(x,y,λ) of a scene and thuscollect a three-dimensional (3D) dataset typically called a datacube.FIG. 2A illustrates an example of a spectral image datacube 120. Asillustrated, the datacube 120 represents three dimensions of image data:two spatial dimensions (x and y) corresponding to the two-dimensional(2D) surface of the image sensor, and a spectral dimension (λ)corresponding to a particular wavelength band. The dimensions of thedatacube 120 can be given by N_(X)N_(y)N_(λ), where N_(x), N_(y), andN_(λ) are the number of sample elements along the (x, y) spatialdimensions and spectral axes λ, respectively. Because datacubes are of ahigher dimensionality than 2D detector arrays (e.g., image sensors) thatare currently available, typical spectral imaging systems either capturetime-sequential 2D slices, or planes, of the datacube 120 (referred toherein as “scanning” imaging systems), or simultaneously measure allelements of the datacube by dividing it into multiple 2D elements thatcan be recombined into datacube 120 in processing (referred to herein as“snapshot” imaging systems).

FIG. 2B illustrates examples of how certain scanning spectral imagingtechnologies generate the datacube 120. Specifically, FIG. 2Billustrates the portions 132, 134, and 136 of the datacube 120 that canbe collected during a single detector integration period. A pointscanning spectrometer, for example, can capture a portion 132 thatextends across all spectral planes A at a single (x, y) spatialposition. A point scanning spectrometer can be used to build thedatacube 120 by performing a number of integrations corresponding toeach (x, y) position across the spatial dimensions. A filter wheelimaging system, for example, can capture a portion 134 that extendsacross the entirety of both spatial dimensions x and y, but only asingle spectral plane A. A wavelength scanning imaging system, such as afilter wheel imaging system, can be used to build the datacube 120 byperforming a number of integrations corresponding to the number ofspectral planes A. A line scanning spectrometer, for example, cancapture a portion 136 that extends across all spectral dimensions A andall of one of the spatial dimension (x or y), but only a single pointalong the other spatial dimension (y or x). A line scanning spectrometercan be used to build the datacube 120 by performing a number ofintegrations corresponding to each position of this other spatialdimension (y or x).

For applications in which the target object and imaging system are bothmotionless (or remain relatively still over the exposure times), suchscanning imaging systems provide the benefit of yielding a highresolution datacube 120. For line scanning and wavelength scanningimaging systems, this can be due to the fact that each spectral orspatial image is captured using the entire area of the image sensor.However, movement of the imaging system and/or object between exposurescan cause artifacts in the resulting image data. For example, the same(x, y) position in the datacube 120 can actually represent a differentphysical location on the imaged object across the spectral dimension k.This can lead to errors in downstream analysis and/or impose anadditional requirement for performing registration (e.g., aligning thespectral dimension λ so that a particular (x, y) position corresponds tothe same physical location on the object).

In comparison, a snapshot imaging system 140 can capture an entiredatacube 120 in a single integration period or exposure, therebyavoiding such motion-induced image quality issues. FIG. 2C depicts anexample image sensor 142 and an optical filter array such as a colorfilter array (CFA) 144 that can be used to create a snapshot imagingsystem. The CFA 144 in this example is a repeating pattern of colorfilter units 146 across the surface of the image sensor 142. This methodof acquiring spectral information can also be referred to as amultispectral filter array (MSFA) or a spectrally resolved detectorarray (SRDA). In the illustrated example, the color filter unit 146includes a 5×5 arrangement of different color filters, which wouldgenerate 25 spectral channels in the resulting image data. By way ofthese different color filters, the CFA can split incoming light into thebands of the filters, and direct the split light to dedicatedphotoreceptors on the image sensor. In this way, for a given color 148,only 1/25^(th) of the photoreceptors actually detect a signal representlight of that wavelength. Thus, although 25 different color channels canbe generated in a single exposure with this snapshot imaging system 140,each color channel represents a smaller quantity of measured data thanthe total output of the sensor 142. In some embodiments, a CFA mayinclude one or more of a filter array (MSFA), a spectrally resolveddetector array (SRDA), and/or may include a conventional Bayer filter,CMYK filter, or any other absorption-based or interference-basedfilters. One type of interference based filter would be an array of thinfilm filters arranged in a grid with each element of the gridcorresponding to one or more sensor elements. Another type ofinterference based filter is a Fabry-Perot filter. Nanoetchedinterference Fabry-Perot filters, which exhibit typical bandpassfull-width-at-half-maxima (FWHM) on the order of 20 to 50 nm, areadvantageous because they can be used in some embodiments due to theslow roll-off of the filters' passband seen in the transition from itscenter wavelength to its blocking band. These filters also exhibit a lowOD in these blocking bands further enabling increased sensitivity tolight outside of their passbands. These combined effects makes thesespecific filters sensitive to spectral regions that would otherwise beblocked by the fast roll-off of a high OD interference filter with asimilar FWHM made with many thin film layers in a coating depositionprocess such as in evaporative deposition or in ion-beam sputtering. Inembodiments with dye-based CMYK or RGB (Bayer) filter configurations,the slow spectral roll-off and the large FWHM of individual filterpassbands are preferred and provide a unique spectral transmissionpercentage to individual wavelengths throughout an observed spectrum.

Accordingly, the datacube 120 that results from a snapshot imagingsystem will have one of two properties that can be problematic forprecision imaging applications. As a first option, the datacube 120 thatresults from a snapshot imaging system can have smaller N_(x) and N_(y)sizes than the (x, y) size of the detector array and, thus be of lowerresolution than the datacube 120, which would be generated by a scanningimaging system having the same image sensor. As a second option, thedatacube 120 that results from a snapshot imaging system can have thesame N_(x) and N_(y) sizes as the (x, y) size of the detector array dueto interpolating values for certain (x, y) positions. However, theinterpolation used to generate such a datacube means that certain valuesin the datacube are not actual measurements of the wavelength of lightincident on the sensor, but rather estimates of what the actualmeasurement may be based on surrounding values.

Another existing option for single-exposure multispectral imaging is themultispectral beamsplitter. In such imaging systems, beamsplitter cubessplit incident light into distinct color bands, with each band observedby independent image sensors. While one can change the beamsplitterdesigns to adjust the measured spectral bands, it is not easy to dividethe incident light into more than four beams without compromising thesystem performance. Thus, four spectral channels appear to be thepractical limit of this approach. A closely related method is to usethin-film filters instead of the bulkier beamsplitter cubes/prisms tosplit the light, however this approach is still limited to about sixspectral channels due to space limitations and cumulative transmissionlosses through successive filters.

The aforementioned problems, among others, are addressed in someembodiments by the disclosed multi-aperture spectral imaging system withcurved multi-bandpass filters to filter light incoming through eachaperture, and the associated image data processing techniques. Thisparticular configuration is able to achieve all of the design goals offast imaging speeds, high resolution images, and precise fidelity ofdetected wavelengths. Accordingly, the disclosed optical design andassociated image data processing techniques can be used in portablespectral imaging systems and/or to image moving targets, while stillyielding a datacube suitable for high precision applications (e.g.,clinical tissue analysis, biometric recognition, transient clinicalevents). These higher precision applications may include the diagnosisof melanoma in the preceeding stages (0 through 3) before metastasis,the classification of burn wound severity on skin tissue, or the tissuediagnosis of diabetic foot ulcer severity. Accordingly, the small formfactor and the snapshot spectral acquisition as depicted in someembodiments will enable the use of this invention in clinicalenvironments with transient events, which include the diagnosis ofseveral different retinopathies (e.g. non proliferative diabeticretinopathy, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and age-related maculardegeneration) and the imaging of moving pediatric patients. Accordingly,it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the use of amulti-aperture system with flat or curved multi-bandpass filters, asdisclosed herein, represents a significant technological advance overprior spectral imaging implementations. Specifically, the multi-aperturesystem may enable the collection of 3D spatial images of or relating toobject curvature, depth, volume, and/or area based on the calculateddisparity of the perspective differences between each aperture. However,the multi-aperture strategies presented here are not limited to anyspecific filter and may include flat and/or thin filters, based oneither interference or absorptive filtering. This invention, asdisclosed herein, can be modified to include flat filters in the imagespace of the imaging system in the event of suitable lenses or aperturesthat use a small or acceptable range of incidence angles. Filters mayalso be placed at the aperture stop or at the entrance/exit pupil of theimaging lenses as one skilled in the art of optical engineering may seefit to do so.

Various aspects of the disclosure will now be described with regard tocertain examples and embodiments, which are intended to illustrate butnot limit the disclosure. Although the examples and embodimentsdescribed herein will focus, for the purpose of illustration, onspecific calculations and algorithms, one of skill in the art willappreciate the examples are to illustrate only, and are not intended tobe limiting. For example, although some examples are presented in thecontext of a multispectral imaging, the disclosed multi-aperture imagingsystem and associated filters can be configured to achieve hyperspectralimaging in other implementations. Further, although certain examples arepresented as achieving benefits for handheld and/or moving targetapplications, it will be appreciated that the disclosed imaging systemdesign and associated processing techniques can yield a high precisiondatacube suitable for fixed imaging systems and/or for analysis ofrelatively motionless targets.

Overview of Electromagnetic Ranges and Image Sensors

Certain colors or portions of the electromagnetic spectrum are referredto herein, and will now be discussed with respect to their wavelength asdefined by the ISO 21348 definitions of irradiance spectral categories.As described further below, in certain imaging applications thewavelength ranges for specific colors can be grouped together to passthrough a certain filter.

Electromagnetic radiation ranging from wavelengths of or approximately760 nm to wavelengths of or approximately 380 nm are typicallyconsidered the “visible” spectrum, that is, the portion of the spectrumrecognizable by the color receptors of the human eye. Within the visiblespectrum, red light typically is considered to have a wavelength of orapproximately 700 nanometers (nm), or to be in the range of orapproximately 760 nm to 610 nm or approximately 610 nm. Orange lighttypically is considered to have a wavelength of or approximately 600 nm,or to be in the range of or approximately 610 nm to approximately 591 nmor 591 nm. Yellow light typically is considered to have a wavelength ofor approximately 580 nm, or to be in the range of or approximately 591nm to approximately 570 nm or 570 nm. Green light typically isconsidered to have a wavelength of or approximately 550 nm, or to be inthe range of or approximately 570 nm to approximately 500 nm or 500 nm.Blue light typically is considered to have a wavelength of orapproximately 475 nm, or to be in the range of or approximately 500 nmto approximately 450 nm or 450 nm. Violet (purple) light typically isconsidered to have a wavelength of or approximately 400 nm, or to be inthe range of or approximately 450 nm to approximately 360 nm or 360 nm.

Turning to ranges outside of the visible spectrum, infrared (IR) refersto electromagnetic radiation with longer wavelengths than those ofvisible light, and is generally invisible to the human eye. IRwavelengths extend from the nominal red edge of the visible spectrum atapproximately 760 nm or 760 nm to approximately 1 millimeter (mm) or 1mm. Within this range, near infrared (NIR) refers to the portion of thespectrum that is adjacent to the red range, ranging from wavelengthsbetween approximately 760 nm or 760 nm to approximately 1400 nm or 1400nm.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation refers to some electromagnetic radiation withshorter wavelengths than those of visible light, and is generallyinvisible to the human eye. UV wavelengths extend from the nominalviolet edge of the visible spectrum at approximately 40 nm or 40 nm toapproximately 400 nm. Within this range, near ultraviolet (NUV) refersto the portion of the spectrum that is adjacent to the violet range,ranging from wavelengths between approximately 400 nm or 400 nm toapproximately 300 nm or 300 nm, middle ultraviolet (MUV) ranges fromwavelengths between approximately 300 nm or 300 nm to approximately 200nm or 200 nm, and far ultraviolet (FUV) ranges from wavelengths betweenapproximately 200 nm or 200 nm to approximately 122 nm or 122 nm.

The image sensors described herein can be configured to detectelectromagnetic radiation in any of the above-described ranges,depending upon the particular wavelength ranges that are suitable for aparticular application. The spectral sensitivity of a typicalsilicon-based charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor extends across the visiblespectrum, and also extends considerably into the near-infrared (IR)spectrum and sometimes into the UV spectrum. Some implementations canalternatively or additionally use back-illuminated or front-illuminatedCCD or CMOS arrays. For applications requiring high SNR andscientific-grade measurements, some implementations can alternatively oradditionally use either scientific complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (sCMOS) cameras or electron multiplying CCDcameras (EMCCD). Other implementations can alternatively or additionallyuse sensors known to operate in specific color ranges (e.g., short-waveinfrared (SWIR), mid-wave infrared (MWIR), or long-wave infrared (LWIR))and corresponding optical filter arryas, based on the intendedapplications. These may alternatively or additionally include camerasbased around detector materials including indium gallium arsenide(InGaAs) or indium antimonide (InSb) or based around microbolometerarrays.

The image sensors used in the disclosed multispectral imaging techniquesmay be used in conjunction with an optical filter array such as a colorfilter array (CFA). Some CFAs can split incoming light in the visiblerange into red (R), green (G), and blue (B) categories to direct thesplit visible light to dedicated red, green, or blue photodiodereceptors on the image sensor. A common example for a CFA is the Bayerpattern, which is a specific pattern for arranging RGB color filters ona rectangular grid of photosensors. The Bayer pattern is 50% green, 25%red and 25% blue with rows of repeating red and green color filtersalternating with rows of repeating blue and green color filters. SomeCFAs (e.g., for RGB-NIR sensors) can also separate out the NIR light anddirect the split NIR light to dedicated photodiode receptors on theimage sensor.

As such, the wavelength ranges of the filter components of the CFA candetermine the wavelength ranges represented by each image channel in acaptured image. Accordingly, a red channel of an image may correspond tothe red wavelength regions of the color filter and can include someyellow and orange light, ranging from approximately 570 nm or 570 nm toapproximately 760 nm or 760 nm in various embodiments. A green channelof an image may correspond to a green wavelength region of a colorfilter and can include some yellow light, ranging from approximately 570nm or 570 nm to approximately 480 nm or 480 nm in various embodiments. Ablue channel of an image may correspond to a blue wavelength region of acolor filter and can include some violet light, ranging fromapproximately 490 nm or 490 nm to approximately 400 nm or 400 nm invarious embodiments. As a person of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate, exact beginning and ending wavelengths (or portions of theelectromagnetic spectrum) that define colors of a CFA (for example, red,green, and blue) can vary depending upon the CFA implementation.

Further, typical visible light CFAs are transparent to light outside thevisible spectrum. Therefore, in many image sensors the IR sensitivity islimited by a thin-film reflective IR filter at the face of the sensorthat blocks the infrared wavelength while passing visible light.However, this may be omitted in some of the disclosed imaging systems toallow of passage of IR light. Thus, the red, green, and/or blue channelsmay also be used to collect IR wavelength bands. In some implementationsthe blue channel may also be used to collect certain NUV wavelengthbands. The distinct spectral responses of the red, green, and bluechannels with regard to their unique transmission efficiencies at eachwavelength in a spectral image stack may provide a uniquely weightedresponse of spectral bands to be unmixed using the known transmissionprofiles. For example, this may include the known transmission responsein IR and UV wavelength regions for the red, blue, and green channels,enabling their use in the collection of bands from these regions.

As described in further detail below, additional color filters can beplaced before the CFA along the path of light towards the image sensorin order to selectively refine the specific bands of light that becomeincident on the image sensor. Some of the disclosed filters can beeither a combination of dichroic (thin-film) and/or absorptive filtersor a single dichroic and/or absorptive filter. Some of the disclosedcolor filters can be bandpass filters that pass frequencies within acertain range (in a passband) and reject (attenuates) frequenciesoutside that range (in a blocking range). Some of the disclosed colorfilters can be multi-bandpass filters that pass multiple discontinuousranges of wavelengths. These “wavebands” can have smaller passbandranges, larger blocking range attenuation, and sharper spectralroll-off, which is defined as the steepness of the spectral response asthe filter transitions from the passband to the blocking range, than thelarger color range of the CFA filter. For example, these disclosed colorfilters can cover a passband of approximately 20 nm or 20 nm orapproximately 40 nm or 40 nm. The particular configuration of such colorfilters can determine the actual wavelength bands that are incident uponthe sensor, which can increase the precision of the disclosed imagingtechniques. The color filters described herein can be configured toselectively block or pass specific bands of electromagnetic radiation inany of the above-described ranges, depending upon the particularwavelength bands that are suitable for a particular application.

As described herein, a “pixel” can be used to describe the outputgenerated by an element of the 2D detector array. In comparison, aphotodiode, a single photosensitive element in this array, behaves as atransducer capable of converting photons into electrons via thephotoelectric effect, which is then in turn converted into a usablesignal used to determine the pixel value. A single element of thedatacube can be referred to as a “voxel” (e.g., a volume element). A“spectral vector” refers to a vector describing the spectral data at aparticular (x, y) position in a datacube (e.g., the spectrum of lightreceived from a particular point in the object space). A singlehorizontal plane of the datacube (e.g., an image representing a singlespectral dimension), is referred to herein as a an “image channel”.Certain embodiments described herein may capture spectral videoinformation, and the resulting data dimensions can assume the“hypercube” form N_(x)N_(y)N_(λ)N_(t), where N_(t) is the number offrames captured during a video sequence.

Overview of Example Multi-Aperture Imaging systems with CurvedMulti-Bandpass Filters

FIG. 3A depicts a schematic view of an example multi-aperture imagingsystem 200 with curved multi-bandpass filters, according to the presentdisclosure. The illustrated view includes a first image sensor region225A (photodiodes PD1-PD3) and a second image sensor region 225B(photodiodes PD4-PD6). The photodiodes PD1-PD6 can be, for example,photodiodes formed in a semiconductor substrate, for example in a CMOSimage sensor. Generally, each of the photodiodes PD1-PD6 can be a singleunit of any material, semiconductor, sensor element or other device thatconverts incident light into current. It will be appreciated that asmall portion of the overall system is illustrated for the purpose ofexplaining its structure and operation, and that in implementation imagesensor regions can have hundreds or thousands of photodiodes (andcorresponding color filters). The image sensor regions 225A and 225B maybe implemented as separate sensors, or as separate regions of the sameimage sensor, depending upon the implementation. Although FIG. 3Adepicts two apertures and corresponding light paths and sensor regions,it will be appreciated that the optical design principles illustrated byFIG. 3A can be extended to three or more apertures and correspondinglight paths and sensor regions, depending upon the implementation.

The multi-aperture imaging system 200 includes a first opening 210A thatprovides a first light path towards the first sensor region 225A, and asecond opening 210B that provides a first light path towards the secondsensor region 225B. These apertures may be adjustable to increase ordecrease the brightness of the light that falls on the image, or so thatthe duration of particular image exposures can be changed and thebrightness of the light that falls on the image sensor regions does notchange. These apertures may also be located at any position along theoptical axes of this multi-aperture system as deemed reasonable by oneskilled in the art of optical design. The optical axis of the opticalcomponents positioned along the first light path is illustrated bydashed line 230A and the optical axis of the optical componentspositioned along the second light path is illustrated by dashed line230B, and it will be appreciated that these dashed lines do notrepresent a physical structure of the multi-aperture imaging system 200.The optical axes 230A, 230B are separated by a distance D, which canresult in disparity between the images captured by the first and secondsensor regions 225A, 225B. Disparity refers to the distance between twocorresponding points in the left and right (or upper and lower) imagesof a stereoscopic pair, such that the same physical point in the objectspace can appear in different locations in each image. Processingtechniques to compensate for and leverage this disparity are describedin further detail below.

Each optical axis 230A, 230B passes through a center C of thecorresponding aperture, and the optical components can also be centeredalong these optical axes (e.g., the point of rotational symmetry of anoptical component can be positioned along the optical axis). Forexample, the first curved multi-bandpass filter 205A and first imaginglens 215A can be centered along the first optical axis 230A, and thesecond curved multi-bandpass filter 205B and second imaging lens 215Bcan be centered along the second optical axis 230B.

As used herein with respect to positioning of optical elements, “over”and “above” refer to the position of a structure (for example, a colorfilter or lens) such that light entering the imaging system 200 from theobject space propagates through the structure before it reaches (or isincident upon) another structure. To illustrate, along the first lightpath, the curved multi-bandpass filter 205A is positioned above theaperture 210A, the aperture 210A is positioned above imaging lens 215A,the imaging lens 215A is positioned above the CFA 220A, and the CFA 220Ais positioned above the first image sensor region 225A. Accordingly,light from the object space (e.g., the physical space being imaged)first passes through the curved multi-bandpass filter 205A, then theaperture 210A, then the imaging lens 215A, then the CFA 220A, andfinally is incident on the first image sensor region 225A. The secondlight path (e.g., curved multi-bandpass filter 205B, aperture 210B,imaging lens 215B, CFA 220B, second image sensor region 225B) follows asimilar arrangement. In other implementations, the aperture 210A, 210Band/or imaging lenses 215A, 215B can be positioned above the curvedmulti-bandpass filter 205A, 205B. Additionally, other implementationsmay not use a physical aperture and may rely on the clear aperture ofthe optics to control the brightness of light that is imaged onto thesensor region 225A, 225B. Accordingly, the lens 215A, 215B may be placedabove the aperture 210A, 210B and curved multi-bandpass filter 205A,205B. In this implementation, the aperture 210A, 210B and lens 215A,215B may be also be placed over or under each other as deemed necessaryby one skilled in the art of optical design.

The first CFA 220A positioned over the first sensor region 225A and thesecond CFA 220B positioned over the second sensor region 225B can act aswavelength-selective pass filters and split incoming light in thevisible range into red, green, and blue ranges (as indicated by the R,G, and B notation). The light is “split” by allowing only certainselected wavelengths to pass through each of the color filters in thefirst and second CFAs 220A, 220B. The split light is received bydedicated red, green, or blue diodes on the image sensor. Although red,blue, and green color filters are commonly used, in other embodimentsthe color filters can vary according to the color channel requirementsof the captured image data, for example including ultraviolet, infrared,or near-infrared pass filters, as with an RGB-IR CFA.

As illustrated, each filter of the CFA is positioned over a singlephotodiode PD1-PD6. FIG. 3A also illustrates example microlenses(denoted by ML) that can be formed on or otherwise positioned over eachcolor filter, in order to focus incoming light onto active detectorregions. Other implementations may have multiple photodiodes under asingle filter (e.g., clusters of 2, 4, or more adjacent photodiodes). Inthe illustrated example, photodiode PD1 and photodiode PD4 are under redcolor filters and thus would output red channel pixel information;photodiode PD2 and photodiode PD5 are under green color filters and,thus would output green channel pixel information; and photodiode PD3and photodiode PD6 are under blue color filters and thus would outputblue channel pixel information. Further, as described in more detailbelow, the specific color channels output by given photodiodes can befurther limited to narrower wavebands based on activated illuminantsand/or the specific wavebands passed by the multi-bandpass filters 205A,205B, such that a given photodiode can output different image channelinformation during different exposures.

The imaging lenses 215A, 215B can be shaped to focus an image of theobject scene onto the sensor regions 225A, 225B. Each imaging lens 215A,215B may be composed of as many optical elements and surfaces needed forimage formation and are not limited to single convex lenses as presentedin FIG. 3A, enabling the use of a wide variety of imaging lenses or lensassemblies that would be available commercially or by custom design.Each element or lens assembly may be formed or bonded together in astack or held in series using an optomechanical barrel with a retainingring or bezel. In some embodiments, elements or lens assemblies mayinclude one or more bonded lens groups, such as two or more opticalcomponents cemented or otherwise bonded together. In variousembodiments, any of the multi-bandpass filters described herein may bepositioned in front of a lens assembly of the multispectral imagesystem, in front of a singlet of the multispectral image system, behinda lens assembly of the multispectral image system, behind a singlet ofthe multispectral image system, inside a lens assembly of themultispectral image system, inside a bonded lens group of themultispectral image system, directly onto a surface of a singlet of themultispectral image system, or directly onto a surface of an element ofa lens assembly of the multispectral image system. Further, the aperture210A and 210B may be removed, and the lenses 215A, 215B may be of thevariety typically used in photography with eitherdigital-single-lens-reflex (DSLR) or mirrorless cameras. Additionally,these lenses may be of the variety used in machine vision using C-mountor S-mount threading for mounting. Focus adjustment can be provided bymovement of the imaging lenses 215A, 215B relative to the sensor regions225A, 225B or movement of the sensor regions 225A, 225B relative to theimaging lenses 215A, 215B, for example based on manual focusing,contrast-based autofocus, or other suitable autofocus techniques.

The multi-bandpass filters 205A, 205B can be each configured toselectively pass multiple narrow wavebands of light, for examplewavebands of 10-50 nm in some embodiments (or wider or narrowerwavebands in other embodiments). As illustrated in FIG. 3A, bothmulti-bandpass filters 205A, 205B can pass waveband λ_(c) (the “commonwaveband”). In implementations with three or more light paths, eachmulti-bandpass filter can pass this common waveband. In this manner,each sensor region captures image information at the same waveband (the“common channel”). This image information in this common channel can beused to register the sets of images captured by each sensor region, asdescribed in further detail below. Some implementations may have onecommon waveband and corresponding common channel, or may have multiplecommon wavebands and corresponding common channels.

In addition to the common waveband λ_(c), each multi-bandpass filters205A, 205B can be each configured to selectively pass one or more uniquewavebands. In this manner, the imaging system 200 is able to increasethe number of distinct spectral channels captured collectively by thesensor regions 205A, 205B beyond what can be captured by a single sensorregion. This is illustrated in FIG. 3A by multi-bandpass filters 205Apassing unique waveband λ_(u1), and multi-bandpass filters 205B passingunique waveband λ_(u2), where λ_(u1) and λ_(u2) represent differentwavebands from one another. Although depicted as passing two wavebands,the disclosed multi-bandpass can each pass a set of two or morewavebands. For example, some implementations can pass four wavebandseach, as described with respect to FIGS. 11A and 11B. In variousembodiments, a larger number of wavebands may be passed. For example,some four-camera implementations may include multi-bandpass filtersconfigured to pass 8 wavebands. In some embodiments, the number ofwavebands may be, for example, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, or morewavebands.

The multi-bandpass filters 205A, 205B have a curvature selected toreduce the angular-dependent spectral transmission across the respectivesensor regions 225A, 225B. As a result, when receiving narrowbandillumination from the object space, each photodiode across the area ofthe sensor regions 225A, 225B that is sensitive to that wavelength(e.g., the overlying color filter passes that wavelength) should receivesubstantially the same wavelength of light, rather than photodiodes nearthe edge of the sensor experiencing the wavelength shift described abovewith respect to FIG. 1A. This can generate more precise spectral imagedata than using flat filters.

FIG. 3B depicts an example optical design for optical components of onelight path of the multi-aperture imaging system of FIG. 3A.Specifically, FIG. 3B depicts a custom achromatic doublet 240 that canbe used to provide the multi-bandpass filters 205A, 205B. The customachromatic doublet 240 passes light through a housing 250 to an imagesensor 225. The housing 250 can include openings 210A, 210B and imaginglens 215A, 215B described above.

The achromatic doublet 240 is configured to correct for opticalabberations as introduced by the incorporation of surfaces required forthe multi-bandpass filter coatings 205A, 205B. The illustratedachromatic doublet 240 includes two individual lenses, which can be madefrom glasses or other optical materials having different amounts ofdispersion and different refractive indicies. Other implementations mayuse three or more lenses. These achromatic doublet lenses can bedesigned to incorporate the multi-bandpass filter coatings 205A, 205B onthe curved front surface 242 while eliminating optical aberrationsintroduced that would otherwise be present through the incorporation ofa curved singlet optical surface with the deposited filter coatings205A, 205B while still limiting optical or focusing power provided bythe achromatic doublet 240 due to the combinatorial effect of the curvedfront surface 242 and the curved back surface of 244 while still keepingthe primary elements for focusing light restricted to the lenses housedin housing 250. Thus, the achromatic doublet 240 can contribute to thehigh precision of image data captured by the system 200. Theseindividual lenses can be mounted next to each other, for example beingbonded or cemented together, and shaped such that the aberration of oneof the lenses is counterbalanced by that of the other. The achromaticdoublet 240 curved front surface 242 or the curved back surface 244 canbe coated with the multi-bandpass filter coating 205A, 205B. Otherdoublet designs may be implemented with the systems described herein.

Further variations of the optical designs described herein may beimplemented. For example, in some embodiments a light path may include asinglet or other optical singlet such as of the positive or negativemeniscus variety as depicted in FIG. 3A instead of the doublet 240depicted in FIG. 3B. FIG. 3C illustrates an example implementation inwhich a flat filter 252 is included between the lens housing 250 and thesensor 225. The achromatic doublet 240 in FIG. 3C provides opticalaberration correction as introduced by the inclusion of the flat filter252 containing a multi-bandpass transmission profile while notsignificantly contributing to the optical power as provided by thelenses contained in housing 250. FIG. 3D illustrates another example ofan implementation in which the multi-bandpass coating is implemented bymeans of a multi-bandpass coating 254 applied to the front surface ofthe lens assembly contained within the housing 250. As such, thismulti-bandpass coating 254 may be applied to any curved surface of anyoptical element residing within housing 250.

FIGS. 4A-4E depict an embodiment of a multispectral, multi-apertureimaging system 300, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B. Specifically, FIG. 4A depicts a perspective view of theimaging system 300 with the housing 305 illustrated with translucency toreveal interior components. The housing 305 may be larger or smallerrelative to the illustrated housing 305, for example, based on a desiredamount of embedded computing resources. FIG. 4B depicts a front view ofthe imaging system 300. FIG. 4C depicts a cutaway side view of theimaging system 300, cut along line C-C illustrated in FIG. 4B. FIG. 4Ddepicts a bottom view of the imaging system 300 depicting the processingboard 335. FIGS. 4A-4D are described together below.

The housing 305 of the imaging system 300 may be encased in anotherhousing. For example, handheld implementations may enclose the systemwithin a housing optionally with one or more handles shaped tofacilitate stable holding of the imaging system 300. Example handheldimplementations are depicted in greater detail in FIGS. 18A-18C and inFIGS. 19A-19B. The upper surface of the housing 305 includes fouropenings 320A-320D. A different multi-bandpass filter 325A-325D ispositioned over each opening 320A-320D and held in place by a filter cap330A-330B. The multi-bandpass filters 325A-325D may be curved, and eachpass a common waveband and at least one unique waveband, as describedherein, in order to achieve high precision multi-spectral imaging acrossa greater number of spectral channels than would otherwise be capturedby the image sensor due to its overlying color filter array. The imagesensor, imaging lenses, and color filters described above are positionedwithin the camera housings 345A-345D. In some embodiments, a singlecamera housing may enclose the image sensors, imaging lenses, and colorfilters described above, for example, as shown in FIGS. 20A-20B. In thedepicted implementation separate sensors are thus used (e.g., one sensorwithin each camera housing 345A-345D), but it will be appreciated that asingle image sensor spanning across all of the regions exposed throughthe openings 320A-320D could be used in other implementations. Thecamera housings 345A-345D are secured to the system housing 305 usingsupports 340 in this embodiment, and can be secured using other suitablemeans in various implementations.

The upper surface of the housing 305 supports an optional illuminationboard 310 covered by an optical diffusing element 315. The illuminationboard 310 is described in further detail with respect to FIG. 4E, below.The diffusing element 315 can be composed of glass, plastic, or otheroptical material for diffusing light emitted from the illumination board310 such that the object space receives substantially spatially-evenillumination. Even illumination of the target object can be beneficialin certain imaging applications, for example clinical analysis of imagedtissue, because it provides, within each wavelength, a substantiallyeven amount of illumination across the object surface. In someembodiments, the imaging systems disclosed herein may utilize ambientlight instead of or in addition to light from the optional illuminationboard.

Due to heat generated by the illumination board 310 in use, the imagingsystem 300 includes a heat sink 350 including a number of heatdissipating fins 355. The heat dissipating fins 355 can extend into thespace between the camera housings 345A-345D, and the upper portion ofthe heat sink 350 can draw heat from the illumination board 310 to thefins 355. The heat sink 350 can be made from suitable thermallyconductive materials. The heat sink 350 may further help to dissipateheat from other components such that some implementations of imagingsystems may be fanless.

A number of supports 365 in the housing 305 secure a processing board335 in communication with the cameras 345A-345D. The processing board335 can control operation of the imaging system 300. Although notillustrated, the imaging system 300 can also be configured with one ormore memories, for example storing data generated by use of the imagingsystem and/or modules of computer-executable instructions for systemcontrol. The processing board 335 can be configured in a variety ofways, depending upon system design goals. For example, the processingboard can be configured (e.g., by a module of computer-executableinstructions) to control activation of particular LEDs of theillumination board 310. Some implementations can use a highly stablesynchronous step-down LED driver, which can enable software control ofanalog LED current and also detect LED failure. Some implementations canadditionally provide image data analysis functionality to the processingboard (e.g., by modules of computer-executable instructions) 335 or to aseparate processing board. Although not illustrated, the imaging system300 can include data interconnects between the sensors and theprocessing board 335 such that the processing board 335 can receive andprocess data from the sensors, and between the illumination board 310and the processing board 335 such that the processing board can driveactivation of particular LEDs of the illumination board 310.

FIG. 4E depicts an example illumination board 310 that may be includedin the imaging system 300, in isolation from the other components. Theillumination board 310 includes four arms extending from a centralregion, with LEDs positioned along each arm in three columns. The spacesbetween LEDs in adjacent columns are laterally offset from one anotherto create separation between adjacent LEDs. Each column of LEDs includesa number of rows having different colors of LEDs. Four green LEDs 371are positioned in the center region, with one green LED in each cornerof the center region. Starting from the innermost row (e.g., closest tothe center), each column includes a row of two deep red LEDs 372 (for atotal of eight deep red LEDs). Continuing radially outward, each arm hasa row of one amber LED 374 in the central column, a row of two shortblue LEDs 376 in the outermost columns (for a total of eight short blueLEDs), another row of one amber LED 374 in the central column (for atotal of eight amber LEDs), a row having one non-PPG NIR LED 373 and onered LED 375 in the outermost columns (for a total of four of each), andone PPG NIR LED 377 in the central column (for a total of four PPG NIRLEDs). A “PPG” LED refers to an LED activated during a number ofsequential exposure for capturing photoplethysmographic (PPG)information representing pulsatile blood flow in living tissue. It willbe understood that a variety of other colors and/or arrangements thereofmay be used in illumination boards of other embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B. Similar to the design of the imaging system 300, theimaging system 400 includes four light paths, here shown as openings420A-420D having multi-bandpass filter lens groups 425A-425D, which aresecured to housing 405 by retaining rings 430A-430D. The imaging system400 also includes an illumination board 410 secured to the front face ofthe housing 405 between the retaining rings 430A-430D, and a diffuser415 positioned over the illumination board 410 to assist with emittingspatially even light onto the target object.

The illumination board 410 of the system 400 includes four branches ofLEDs in a cross shape, with each branch including two columns ofclosely-spaced LEDs. Thus, the illumination board 410 is more compactthan the illumination board 310 described above, and may be suitable foruse with imaging systems having smaller form factor requirements. Inthis example configuration, each branch includes an outermost row havingone green LED and one blue LED, and moving inwards includes two rows ofyellow LEDs, a row of orange LEDs, a row having one red LED and one deepred LED, and a row having one amber LED and one NIR LED. Accordingly, inthis implementation the LEDs are arranged such that LEDs that emit lightof longer wavelengths are in the center of the illumination board 410,while LEDs that emit light of shorter wavelengths are at the edges ofthe illumination board 410.

FIGS. 6A-6C depict another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system 500, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A and 3B. Specifically, FIG. 6A depicts a perspective view of theimaging system 500, FIG. 6B depicts a front view of the imaging system500, and FIG. 6C depicts a cutaway side view of the imaging system 500,cut along line C-C illustrated in FIG. 6B. The imaging system 500includes similar components to those described above with respect toimaging system 300 (e.g., a housing 505, illumination board 510,diffusing plate 515, multi-bandpass filters 525A-525D secured overopenings via retaining rings 530A-530D), but depicts a shorter formfactor (e.g., in an embodiment with fewer and/or smaller embeddedcomputing components). The system 500 also includes a directcamera-to-frame mount 540 for added rigidity and robustness of cameraalignment.

FIGS. 7A-7B depict another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system 600. FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate another possible arrangementof light sources 610A-610C around a multi-aperture imaging system 600.As depicted, four lens assemblies with multi-bandpass filters 625A-625Dwith an optical design as described with respect to FIGS. 3A-3D can bedisposed in a rectangular or square configuration to provide light tofour cameras 630A-630D (including image sensors). Three rectangularlight emitting elements 610A-610C can be disposed parallel to oneanother outside of and between the lens assemblies with multi-bandpassfilters 625A-625D. These can be broad-spectrum light emitting panels orarrangements of LEDs that emit discrete wavebands of light.

FIGS. 8A-8B depict another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system 700. FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate another possible arrangementof light sources 710A-710D around a multi-aperture imaging system 700.As depicted, four lens assemblies with multi-bandpass filters 725A-725D,employing an optical design as described with respect to FIGS. 3A-3D,can be disposed in a rectangular or square configuration to providelight to four cameras 730A-730D (including image sensors). The fourcameras 730A-730D are illustrated in a closer example configurationwhich may minimize perspective differences between the lenses. Fourrectangular light emitting elements 710A-710D can be positioned in asquare surrounding the lens assemblies with multi-bandpass filters725A-725D. These can be broad-spectrum light emitting panels orarrangements of LEDs that emit discrete wavebands of light.

FIGS. 9A-9C depict another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system 800. The imaging system 800 includes a frame 805 coupledto a lens cluster frame front 830 that includes openings 820 and supportstructures for micro-video lenses 825, which can be provided withmulti-bandpass filters using an optical design as described with respectto FIGS. 3A-3D. The micro-video lenses 825 provide light to four cameras845 (including imaging lenses and image sensor regions) mounted on alens cluster frame back 840. Four linear arrangements of LEDs 811 aredisposed along the four sides of the lens cluster frame front 830, eachprovided with its own diffusing element 815. FIGS. 9B and 9C depictexample dimensions in inches to show one possible size of themulti-aperture imaging system 800.

FIG. 10A depicts another embodiment of a multispectral multi-apertureimaging system 900, with an optical design as described with respect toFIGS. 3A-3D. The imaging system 900 can be implemented as a set ofmulti-bandpass filters 905 that are attachable over a multi-aperturecamera 915 of a mobile device 910. For example, certain mobile devices910 such as smartphones can be equipped with stereoscopic imagingsystems having two openings leading to two image sensor regions. Thedisclosed multi-aperture spectral imaging techniques can be implementedin such devices by providing them with a suitable set of multi-bandpassfilters 905 to pass multiple narrower wavebands of light to the sensorregions. Optionally, the set of multi-bandpass filters 905 can beequipped with an illuminant (such as an LED array and diffuser) thatprovides light at these wavebands to the object space.

The system 900 can also include a mobile application that configures themobile device to perform the processing that generates the multispectraldatacube, as well as processing the multispectral datacube (e.g., forclinical tissue classification, biometric recognition, materialsanalysis, or other applications). Alternatively, the mobile applicationmay configure the device 910 to send the multispectral datacube over anetwork to a remote processing system, and then receive and display aresult of the analysis. An example user interface 910 for such anapplication is shown in FIG. 10B.

FIGS. 11A-11B depict an example set of wavebands that can be passed bythe filters of four-filter implementations of the multispectralmulti-aperture imaging systems of FIGS. 3A-10B, for example to an imagesensor having the Bayer CFA (or another RGB or RGB-IR CFA). The spectraltransmission response of wavebands as passed by the multi-bandpassfilters are shown by the solid lines in the graphs 1000 of FIG. 11A andare denotied by T_(n) ^(λ), where n represents the camera number,ranging from 1 through 4. The dashed lines represent the combinedspectral response of T_(n) ^(λ) with either the spectral transmission ofa green pixel, Q_(G) ^(λ), a red pixel, Q_(R) ^(λ), or a blue pixel,Q_(B) ^(λ), that would be present in a typical Bayer CFA. Thesetransmission curves also include the effects of quantum efficiency dueto the sensor used in this example. As illustrated, this set of fourcameras collectively captures eight unique channels or wavebands. Eachfilter passes two common wavebands (the two left-most peaks) to therespective cameras, as well as two additional wavebands. In thisimplementation, the first and third cameras receive light in a firstshared NIR waveband (the right-most peak), and the second and fourthcameras receive light in a second shared NIR waveband (the peaksecond-most to the right). Each of the cameras also receives one uniquewaveband ranging from approximately 550 nm or 550 nm to approximately800 nm or 800 nm. Thus, the camera can capture eight unique spectralchannels using a compact configuration. A graph 1010 in FIG. 11B depictsthe spectral irradiance of an LED board as described in FIG. 4E that maybe used as illumination for the 4 cameras dshown in FIG. 11A.

In this implementation, the eight wavebands have been selected based onproducing spectral channels suitable for clinical tissue classification,and may also be optimized with respect to signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)and frame rate while limiting the number of LEDs (which introduce heatinto the imaging system). The eight wavebands include a common wavebandof blue light (the leftmost peak in the graphs 1000) that is passed byall four filters, because tissue (e.g., animal tissue including humantissue) exhibits higher contrast at blue wavelengths than at green orred wavelengths. Specifically, human tissue exhibits its highestcontrast when imaged at a waveband centered on around 420 nm, as shownin the graphs 1000. Because the channel corresponding to the commonwaveband is used for disparity correction, this higher contrast canproduce more accurate correction. For example in disparity correctionthe image processor can employ local or global methods to find a set ofdisparities so that a figure of merit corresponding to similaritybetween local image patches or images is maximized. Alternatively, theimage processor can employ similar methods that minimize a figure ofmerit corresponding to dissimilarity. These figures of merit can bebased on entropy, correlation, absolute differences, or on deep learningmethods. Global methods of disparity calculation can operateiteratively, terminating when the figure of merit is stable. Localmethods can be used to calculate disparity point by point, using a fixedpatch in one image as an input into the figure of merit and a number ofdifferent patches, each determined by a different value of disparityunder test, from the other image. All such methods can have constraintsimposed on the range of disparities that are considered. Theseconstraints can be based on knowledge of the object depth and distance,for instance. The constraints could also be imposed based on a range ofgradients expected in an object. Constraints on the calculateddisparities can also be imposed by projective geometry, such as theepipolar constraint. Disparity can be calculated at multipleresolutions, with the output of disparities calculated at lowerresolutions acting as initial values or constraints on the disparitiescalculated at the next level of resolution. For instance, a disparitycalculated at a resolution level of 4 pixels in one calculation can beused to set constraints of ±4 pixels in a next calculation of disparityat higher resolution. All algorithms that calculate from disparity willbenefit from higher contrast, particularly if that source of contrast iscorrelated for all viewpoints. Generally speaking, the common wavebandcan be selected based on corresponding to the highest contrast imagingof the material that is expected to be imaged for a particularapplication.

After image capture, color separation between adjacent channels may notbe perfect, and so this implementation also has an additional commonwaveband passed by all filters—depicted in the graphs 1000 as the greenwaveband adjacent to the blue waveband. This is because blue colorfilter pixels are sensitive to regions of the green spectrum due to itsbroad spectral bandpass. This typically manifests as spectral overlap,which may also be characterized as intentional crosstalk, betweenadjacent RGB pixels. This overlap enables the spectral sensitivity ofcolor cameras to be similar to the spectral sensitivity of a humanretina, such that the resultant color space is qualitatively similar tohuman vision. Accordingly, having a common green channel can enableseparation of the portion of the signal generated by blue photodiodesthat truly corresponds to received blue light, by separating out theportion of the signal due to green light. This can be accomplished usingspectral unmixing algorithms that factor in the transmittance (shown inthe legend by T with a solid black line) of the multi-band pass filter,the transmittance of the corresponding CFA color filter (shown in thelegend by Q with dashed red, green, and blue lines). It will beappreciated that some implementations may use red light as a commonwaveband, and in such instances a second common channel may not benecessary.

FIG. 12 illustrates a high-level block diagram of an example compactimaging system 1100 with high resolution spectral imaging capabilities,the system 1100 having a set of components including a processor 1120linked to an multi-aperture spectral camera 1160 and illuminant(s) 1165.A working memory 1105, storage 1110, electronic display 1125, and memory1130 are also in communication with the processor 1120. As describedherein, the system 1100 may capture a greater number of image channelsthan there are different colors of filters in the CFA of the imagesensor by using different multi-bandpass filters placed over differentopenings of the multi-aperture spectral camera 1160.

System 1100 may be a device such as cell phone, digital camera, tabletcomputer, personal digital assistant, or the like. System 1100 may alsobe a more stationary device such as a desktop personal computer, videoconferencing station, or the like that uses an internal or externalcamera for capturing images. System 1100 can also be a combination of animage capture device and a separate processing device receiving imagedata from the image capture device. A plurality of applications may beavailable to the user on system 1100. These applications may includetraditional photographic applications, capture of still images andvideo, dynamic color correction applications, and brightness shadingcorrection applications, among others.

The image capture system 1100 includes the multi-aperture spectralcamera 1160 for capturing images. The multi-aperture spectral camera1160 can be, for example, any of the devices of FIGS. 3A-10B. Themulti-aperture spectral camera 1160 may be coupled to the processor 1120to transmit captured images in different spectral channels and fromdifferent sensor regions to the image processor 1120. The illuminant(s)1165 can also be controlled by the processor to emit light at certainwavelengths during certain exposures, as described in more detail below.The image processor 1120 may be configured to perform various operationson a received captured image in order to output a high quality,disparity corrected multispectral datacube.

Processor 1120 may be a general purpose processing unit or a processorspecially designed for imaging applications. As shown, the processor1120 is connected to a memory 1130 and a working memory 1105. In theillustrated embodiment, the memory 1130 stores a capture control module1135, datacube generation module 1140, datacube analysis module 1145,and operating system 1150. These modules include instructions thatconfigure the processor to perform various image processing and devicemanagement tasks. Working memory 1105 may be used by processor 1120 tostore a working set of processor instructions contained in the modulesof memory 1130. Alternatively, working memory 1105 may also be used byprocessor 1120 to store dynamic data created during the operation ofdevice 1100.

As mentioned above, the processor 1120 is configured by several modulesstored in the memory 1130. The capture control module 1135 includesinstructions that configure the processor 1120 to adjust the focusposition of the multi-aperture spectral camera 1160, in someimplementations. The capture control module 1135 also includesinstructions that configure the processor 1120 to capture images withthe multi-aperture spectral camera 1160, for example multispectralimages captured at different spectral channels as well as PPG imagescaptured at the same spectral channel (e.g., a NIR channel). Non-contactPPG imaging normally uses near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths asillumination to take advantage of the increased photon penetration intothe tissue at this wavelength. Therefore, processor 1120, along withcapture control module 1135, multi-aperture spectral camera 1160, andworking memory 1105 represent one means for capturing a set of spectralimages and/or a sequence of images.

The datacube generation module 1140 includes instructions that configurethe processor 1120 to generate a multispectral datacube based onintensity signals received from the photodiodes of different sensorregions. For example, the datacube generation module 1140 can estimate adisparity between the same regions of an imaged object based on aspectral channel corresponding to the common waveband passed by allmulti-bandpass filters, and can use this disparity to register allspectral images across all captured channels to one another (e.g., suchthat the same point on the object is represented by substantially thesame (x,y) pixel location across all spectral channels). The registeredimages collectively form the multispectral datacube, and the disparityinformation may be used to determine depths of different imaged objects,for example a depth difference between healthy tissue and a deepestlocation within a wound site. In some embodiments, the datacubegeneration module 1140 may also perform spectral unmixing to identifywhich portions of the photodiode intensity signals correspond to whichpassed wavebands, for example based on spectral unmixing algorithms thatfactor in filter transmittances and sensor quantum efficiency.

The datacube analysis module 1145 can implement various techniques toanalyze the multispectral datacube generated by the datacube generationmodule 1140, depending upon the application. For example, someimplementations of the datacube analysis module 1145 can provide themultispectral datacube (and optionally depth information) to a machinelearning model trained to classify each pixel according to a certainstate. These states may be clinical states in the case of tissueimaging, for example burn states (e.g., first degree burn, second degreeburn, third degree burn, or healthy tissue categories), wound states(e.g., hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, remodeling or healthyskin categories), healing potential (e.g., a score reflecting thelikelihood that the tissue will heal from a wounded state, with orwithout a particular therapy), perfusion states, cancerous states, orother wound-related tissue states. The datacube analysis module 1145 canalso analyze the multispectral datacube for biometric recognition and/ormaterials analysis.

Operating system module 1150 configures the processor 1120 to manage thememory and processing resources of the system 1100. For example,operating system module 1150 may include device drivers to managehardware resources such as the electronic display 1125, storage 1110,multi-aperture spectral camera 1160, or illuminant(s) 1165. Therefore,in some embodiments, instructions contained in the image processingmodules discussed above may not interact with these hardware resourcesdirectly, but instead interact through standard subroutines or APIslocated in operating system component 1150. Instructions withinoperating system 1150 may then interact directly with these hardwarecomponents.

The processor 1120 may be further configured to control the display 1125to display the captured images and/or a result of analyzing themultispectral datacube (e.g., a classified image) to a user. The display1125 may be external to an imaging device including the multi-aperturespectral camera 1160 or may be part of the imaging device. The display1125 may also be configured to provide a view finder for a user prior tocapturing an image. The display 1125 may comprise an LCD or LED screen,and may implement touch sensitive technologies.

Processor 1120 may write data to storage module 1110, for example datarepresenting captured images, multispectral datacubes, and datacubeanalysis results. While storage module 1110 is represented graphicallyas a traditional disk device, those with skill in the art wouldunderstand that the storage module 1110 may be configured as any storagemedia device. For example, the storage module 1110 may include a diskdrive, such as a floppy disk drive, hard disk drive, optical disk driveor magneto-optical disk drive, or a solid state memory such as a FLASHmemory, RAM, ROM, and/or EEPROM. The storage module 1110 can alsoinclude multiple memory units, and any one of the memory units may beconfigured to be within the image capture device 1100, or may beexternal to the image capture system 1100. For example, the storagemodule 1110 may include a ROM memory containing system programinstructions stored within the image capture system 1100. The storagemodule 1110 may also include memory cards or high speed memoriesconfigured to store captured images which may be removable from thecamera.

Although FIG. 12 depicts a system comprising separate components toinclude a processor, imaging sensor, and memory, one skilled in the artwould recognize that these separate components may be combined in avariety of ways to achieve particular design objectives. For example, inan alternative embodiment, the memory components may be combined withprocessor components to save cost and improve performance.

Additionally, although FIG. 12 illustrates two memory components-memorycomponent 1130 comprising several modules and a separate memory 1105comprising a working memory-one with skill in the art would recognizeseveral embodiments utilizing different memory architectures. Forexample, a design may utilize ROM or static RAM memory for the storageof processor instructions implementing the modules contained in memory1130. Alternatively, processor instructions may be read at systemstartup from a disk storage device that is integrated into system 1100or connected via an external device port. The processor instructions maythen be loaded into RAM to facilitate execution by the processor. Forexample, working memory 1105 may be a RAM memory, with instructionsloaded into working memory 1105 before execution by the processor 1120.

Overview of Example Image Processing Techniques

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example process 1200 for capturing imagedata using the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systems of FIGS.3A-10B and 12. FIG. 13 depicts four example exposures that can be usedto generate a multispectral datacube as described herein—a visibleexposure 1205, an additional visible exposure 1210, a non-visibleexposure 1215, and an ambient exposure 1220. It will be appreciated thatthese may be captured in any order, and some exposures may be optionallyremoved from or added to a particular workflow as described below.Further, the process 1200 is described with reference to the wavebandsof FIGS. 11A and 11B, however similar workflows can be implemented usingimage data generated based on other sets of wavebands. Additionally,flat field correction may further be implemented in accordance withvarious known flat field correction techniques, to improve imageacquisition and/or disparity correction in various embodiments.

For the visible exposure 1205, LEDs of first five peaks (the left fivepeaks corresponding to visible light in the graphs 1000 of FIG. 11A) canbe turned on by a control signal to the illumination board. The wave oflight output may need to stabilize, at a time specific to particularLEDs, for example 10 ms. The capture control module 1135 can begin theexposure of the four cameras after this time and can continue thisexposure for a duration of around 30 ms, for example. Thereafter, thecapture control module 1135 can cease the exposure and pull the data offof the sensor regions (e.g., by transferring raw photodiode intensitysignals to the working memory 1105 and/or data store 1110). This datacan include a common spectral channel for use in disparity correction asdescribed herein.

In order to increase the SNR, some implementations can capture theadditional visible exposure 1210 using the same process described forthe visible exposure 1205. Having two identical or near-identicalexposures can increase the SNR to yield more accurate analysis of theimage data. However, this may be omitted in implementations where theSNR of a single image is acceptable. A duplicate exposure with thecommon spectral channel may also enable more accurate disparitycorrection in some implementations.

Some implementations can also capture a non-visible exposure 1215corresponding to NIR or IR light. For example, the capture controlmodule 1135 can activate two different NIR LEDs corresponding to the twoNIR channels shown in FIG. 11A. The wave of light output may need tostabilize, at a time specific to particular LEDs, for example 10 ms. Thecapture control module 1135 can begin the exposure of the four camerasafter this time and continue this exposure for a duration of around 30ms, for example. Thereafter, the capture control module 1135 can ceasethe exposure and pull the data off of the sensor regions (e.g., bytransferring raw photodiode intensity signals to the working memory 1105and/or data store 1110). In this exposure, there may be no commonwaveband passed to all sensor regions, as it can safely be assumed thatthere is no change in the shape or positioning of the object relative tothe exposures 1205, 1210 and, thus previously computed disparity valuescan be used to register the NIR channels.

In some implementations, multiple exposures can be captured sequentiallyto generate PPG data representing the change in shape of a tissue sitedue to pulsatile blood flow. These PPG exposures may be captured at anon-visible wavelength in some implementations. Although the combinationof PPG data with multispectral data may increase the accuracy of certainmedical imaging analyses, the capture of PPG data can also introduceadditional time into the image capture process. This additional time canintroduce errors due to movement of the handheld imager and/or object,in some implementations. Thus, certain implementations may omit captureof PPG data.

Some implementations can additionally capture the ambient exposure 1220.For this exposure, all LEDs can be turned off to capture an image usingambient illumination (e.g., sunlight, light from other illuminantsources). The capture control module 1135 can begin the exposure of thefour cameras after this time and can keep the exposure ongoing for adesired duration of, for example, around 30 ms. Thereafter, the capturecontrol module 1135 can cease the exposure and pull the data off of thesensor regions (e.g., by transferring raw photodiode intensity signalsto the working memory 1105 and/or data store 1110). The intensity valuesof the ambient exposure 1220 can be subtracted from the values of thevisible exposure 1205 (or the visible exposure 1205 corrected for SNR bythe second exposure 1210) and also from the non-visible exposure 1215 inorder to remove the influence of ambient light from the multispectraldatacube. This can increase the accuracy of downstream analysis byisolating the portion of the generated signals that represent lightemitted by the illuminants and reflected from the object/tissue site.Some implementations may omit this step if analytical accuracy issufficient using just the visible 1205, 1210 and non-visible 1215exposures.

It will be appreciated that the particular exposure times listed aboveare examples of one implementation, and that in other implementationsexposure time can vary depending upon the image sensor, illuminantintensity, and imaged object.

FIG. 14 depicts a schematic block diagram of a workflow 1300 forprocessing image data, for example image data captured using the process1200 of FIG. 13 and/or using the multispectral multi-aperture imagingsystems of FIGS. 3A-10B and 12. The workflow 1300 shows the output oftwo RGB sensor regions 1301A, 1301B, however the workflow 1300 can beextended to greater numbers of sensor regions and sensor regionscorresponding to different CFA color channels.

The RGB sensor outputs from the two sensor regions 1301A, 1301B arestored at the 2D sensor outputs modules 1305A, 1305B, respectively. Thevalues of both sensor regions are sent to the non-linear mapping modules1310A, 1310B, which can perform disparity correction by identifyingdisparity between the captured images using the common channel and thenapplying this determined disparity across all channels to register allspectral images to one another.

The outputs of both non-linear mapping modules 1310A, 1310B are thenprovided to the depth calculation module 1335, which can compute a depthof a particular region of interest in the image data. For example, thedepth may represent the distance between the object and the imagesensor. In some implementations, multiple depth values can be computedand compared to determine the depth of the object relative to somethingother than the image sensor. For example, a greatest depth of a woundbed can be determined, as well as a depth (greatest, lowest, or average)of healthy tissue surrounding the wound bed. By subtracting the depth ofthe healthy tissue from the depth of the wound bed, the deepest depth ofthe wound can be determined. This depth comparison can additionally beperformed at other points in the wound bed (e.g., all or somepredetermined sampling) in order to build a 3D map of the depth of thewound at various points (shown in FIG. 14 as z(x,y) where z would be adepth value). In some embodiments, greater disparity may improve thedepth calculation, although greater disparity may also result in morecomputationally intensive algorithms for such depth calculations.

The outputs of both non-linear mapping modules 1310A, 1310B are alsoprovided to the linear equations module 1320, which can treat the sensedvalues as set of linear equations for spectral unmixing. Oneimplementation can use the Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse equation as afunction of at least sensor quantum efficiency and filter transmittancevalues to compute actual spectral values (e.g., intensity of light atparticular wavelengths that were incident at each (x,y) image point).This can be used in implementations that require high accuracy, such asclinical diagnostics and other biological applications. Application ofthe spectral unmixing can also provide an estimate of photon flux andSNR.

Based on the disparity-corrected spectral channel images and thespectral unmixing, the workflow 1300 can generate a spectral datacube1325, for example in the illustrated format of F(x,y,λ) where Frepresents the intensity of light at a specific (x,y) image location ata specific wavelength or waveband k.

FIG. 15 graphically depicts disparity and disparity correction forprocessing image data, for example image data captured using the processof FIG. 13 and/or using the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systemsof FIGS. 3A-10B and 12. The first set of images 1410 show image data ofthe same physical location on an object as captured by four differentsensor regions. As illustrated, this object location is not in the samelocation across the raw images, based on the (x,y) coordinate frames ofthe photodiode grids of the image sensor regions. The second set ofimages 1420 shows that same object location after disparity correction,which is now in the same (x,y) location in the coordinate frame of theregistered images. It will be appreciated that such registration mayinvolve cropping certain data from edge regions of the images that donot entirely overlap with one another.

FIG. 16 graphically depicts a workflow 1500 for performing pixel-wiseclassification on multispectral image data, for example image datacaptured using the process of FIG. 13, processed according to FIGS. 14and 15, and/or using the multispectral multi-aperture imaging systems ofFIGS. 3A-10B and 12.

At block 1510, the multispectral multi-aperture imaging system 1513 cancapture image data representing physical points 1512 on an object 1511.In this example, the object 1511 includes tissue of a patient that has awound. A wound can comprise a burn, a diabetic ulcer (e.g., a diabeticfoot ulcer), a non-diabetic ulcer (e.g., pressure ulcers or slow-healingwounds), a chronic ulcer, a post-surgical incision, an amputation site(before or after the amputation procedure), a cancerous lesion, ordamaged tissue. Where PPG information is included, the disclosed imagingsystems provide a method to assess pathologies involving changes totissue blood flow and pulse rate including: tissue perfusion;cardiovascular health; wounds such as ulcers; peripheral arterialdisease, and respiratory health.

At block 1520, the data captured by the multispectral multi-apertureimaging system 1513 can be processed into a multispectral datacube 1525having a number of different wavelengths 1523, and, optionally, a numberof different images at the same wavelength corresponding to differenttimes (PPG data 1522). For example, the image processor 1120 can beconfigured by the datacube generation module 1140 to generate themultispectral datacube 1525 according to the workflow 1300. Someimplementations may also associated depth values with various pointsalong the spatial dimensions, as described above.

At block 1530, the multispectral datacube 1525 can be analyzed as inputdata 1525 into a machine learning model 1532 to generate a classifiedmapping 1535 of the imaged tissue. The classified mapping can assigneach pixel in the image data (which, after registration, representspecific points on the imaged object 1511) to a certain tissueclassification, or to a certain healing potential score. The differentclassifications and scores can be represented using visually distinctcolors or patterns in the output classified image. Thus, even though anumber of images are captured of the object 1511, the output can be asingle image of the object (e.g., a typical RGB image) overlaid withvisual representations of pixel-wise classification.

The machine learning model 1532 can be an artificial neural network insome implementations. Artificial neural networks are artificial in thesense that they are computational entities, inspired by biologicalneural networks but modified for implementation by computing devices.Artificial neural networks are used to model complex relationshipsbetween inputs and outputs or to find patterns in data, where thedependency between the inputs and the outputs cannot be easilyascertained. A neural network typically includes an input layer, one ormore intermediate (“hidden”) layers, and an output layer, with eachlayer including a number of nodes. The number of nodes can vary betweenlayers. A neural network is considered “deep” when it includes two ormore hidden layers. The nodes in each layer connect to some or all nodesin the subsequent layer and the weights of these connections aretypically learnt from data during the training process, for examplethrough backpropagation in which the network parameters are tuned toproduce expected outputs given corresponding inputs in labeled trainingdata. Thus, an artificial neural network is an adaptive system that isconfigured to change its structure (e.g., the connection configurationand/or weights) based on information that flows through the networkduring training, and the weights of the hidden layers can be consideredas an encoding of meaningful patterns in the data.

A fully connected neural network is one in which each node in the inputlayer is connected to each node in the subsequent layer (the firsthidden layer), each node in that first hidden layer is connected in turnto each node in the subsequent hidden layer, and so on until each nodein the final hidden layer is connected to each node in the output layer.

A CNN is a type of artificial neural network, and like the artificialneural network described above, a CNN is made up of nodes and haslearnable weights. However, the layers of a CNN can have nodes arrangedin three dimensions: width, height, and depth, corresponding to the 2×2array of pixel values in each video frame (e.g., the width and height)and to the number of video frames in the sequence (e.g., the depth). Thenodes of a layer may only be locally connected to a small region of thewidth and height layer before it, called a receptive field. The hiddenlayer weights can take the form of a convolutional filter applied to thereceptive field. In some embodiments, the convolutional filters can betwo-dimensional, and thus, convolutions with the same filter can berepeated for each frame (or convolved transformation of an image) in theinput volume or for designated subset of the frames. In otherembodiments, the convolutional filters can be three-dimensional and thusextend through the full depth of nodes of the input volume. The nodes ineach convolutional layer of a CNN can share weights such that theconvolutional filter of a given layer is replicated across the entirewidth and height of the input volume (e.g., across an entire frame),reducing the overall number of trainable weights and increasingapplicability of the CNN to data sets outside of the training data.Values of a layer may be pooled to reduce the number of computations ina subsequent layer (e.g., values representing certain pixels may bepassed forward while others are discarded), and further along the depthof the CNN pool masks may reintroduce any discarded values to return thenumber of data points to the previous size. A number of layers,optionally with some being fully connected, can be stacked to form theCNN architecture.

During training, an artificial neural network can be exposed to pairs inits training data and can modify its parameters to be able to predictthe output of a pair when provided with the input. For example, thetraining data can include multispectral datacubes (the input) andclassified mappings (the expected output) that have been labeled, forexample by a clinician who has designated areas of the wound thatcorrespond to certain clinical states, and/or with healing (1) ornon-healing (0) labels sometime after initial imaging of the wound whenactual healing is known. Other implementations of the machine learningmodel 1532 can be trained to make other types of predictions, forexample the likelihood of a wound healing to a particular percentagearea reduction over a specified time period (e.g., at least 50% areareduction within 30 days) or wound states such as, hemostasis,inflammation, proliferation, remodeling or healthy skin categories. Someimplementations may also incorporate patient metrics into the input datato further increase classification accuracy, or may segment trainingdata based on patient metrics to train different instances of themachine learning model 1532 for use with other patients having thosesame patient metrics. Patient metrics can include textual information ormedical history or aspects thereof describing characteristics of thepatient or the patient's health status, for example the area of a wound,lesion, or ulcer, the BMI of the patient, the diabetic status of thepatient, the existence of peripheral vascular disease or chronicinflammation in the patient, the number of other wounds the patient hasor has had, whether the patient is or has recently takenimmunosuppressant drugs (e.g., chemotherapy) or other drugs thatpositively or adversely affect wound healing rate, HbA1c, chronic kidneyfailure stage IV, type II vs type I diabetes, chronic anemia, asthma,drug use, smoking status, diabetic neuropathy, deep vein thrombosis,previous myocardial infarction, transient ischemic attacks, or sleepapnea or any combination thereof. These metrics can be converted into avector representation through appropriate processing, for examplethrough word-to-vec embeddings, a vector having binary valuesrepresenting whether the patient does or does not have the patientmetric (e.g., does or does not have type I diabetes), or numericalvalues representing a degree to which the patient has each patientmetric.

At block 1540, the classified mapping 1535 can be output to a user. Inthis example, the classified mapping 1535 uses a first color 1541 todenote pixels classified according to a first state and uses a secondcolor 1542 to denote pixels classified according to a second state. Theclassification and resulting classified mapping 1535 may excludebackground pixels, for example based on object recognition, backgroundcolor identification, and/or depth values. As illustrated, someimplementations of the multispectral multi-aperture imaging system 1513can project the classified mapping 1535 back on to the tissue site. Thiscan be particularly beneficial when the classified mapping includes avisual representation of a recommended margin and/or depth of excision.

These methods and systems may provide assistance to clinicians andsurgeons in the process of dermal wound management, such as burnexcision, amputation level, lesion removal, and wound triage decisions.Alternatives described herein can be used to identify and/or classifythe severity of decubitus ulcers, hyperaemia, limb deterioration,Raynaud's Phenomenon, scleroderma, chronic wounds, abrasions,lacerations, hemorrhaging, rupture injuries, punctures, penetratingwounds, skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cellcarcinoma, melanoma, actinic keratosis, or any type of tissue change,wherein the nature and quality of the tissue differs from a normalstate. The devices described herein may also be used to monitor healthytissue, facilitate and improve wound treatment procedures, for exampleallowing for a faster and more refined approach for determining themargin for debridement, and evaluate the progress of recovery from awound or disease, especially after a treatment has been applied. In somealternatives described herein, devices are provided that allow for theidentification of healthy tissue adjacent to wounded tissue, thedetermination of an excision margin and/or depth, the monitoring of therecovery process after implantation of a prosthetic, such as a leftventricular assist device, the evaluation of the viability of a tissuegraft or regenerative cell implant, or the monitoring of surgicalrecovery, especially after reconstructive procedures. Moreover,alternatives described herein may be used to evaluate the change in awound or the generation of healthy tissue after a wound, in particular,after introduction of a therapeutic agent, such as a steroid, hepatocytegrowth factor, fibroblast growth factor, an antibiotic, or regenerativecells, such as an isolated or concentrated cell population thatcomprises stem cells, endothelial cells and/or endothelial precursorcells.

Overview of Example Distributed Computing Environment

FIG. 17 depicts a schematic block diagram of an example distributedcomputing system 1600 including a multispectral multi-aperture imagingsystem 1605, which can be any of the multispectral multi-apertureimaging systems of FIGS. 3A-10B and 12. As depicted the datacubeanalysis servers 1615 may include one or more computers, perhapsarranged in a cluster of servers or as a server farm. The memory andprocessors that make up these computers may be located within onecomputer or distributed throughout many computers (including computersthat are remote from one another).

The multispectral multi-aperture imaging system 1605 can includenetworking hardware (e.g., a wireless Internet, satellite, Bluetooth, orother transceiver) for communicating over the network 1610 with userdevices 1620 and datacube analysis servers 1615. For example, in someimplementations the processor of the multispectral multi-apertureimaging system 1605 may be configured to control image capture, and thensend raw data to the datacube analysis servers 1615. Otherimplementations of the processor of the multispectral multi-apertureimaging system 1605 may be configured to control image capture andperform spectral unmixing and disparity correction to generate amultispectral datacube, which is then sent to the datacube analysisservers 1615. Some implementations can perform full processing andanalysis locally on the multispectral multi-aperture imaging system1605, and may send the multispectral datacube and resulting analysis tothe datacube analysis servers 1615 for aggregate analysis and/or use intraining or retraining machine learning models. As such, the datacubeanalysis servers 1615 may provide updated machine learning models to themultispectral multi-aperture imaging system 1605. The processing load ofgenerating the end result of analyzing the multispectral datacube can besplit between the multi-aperture imaging system 1605 and the datacubeanalysis servers 1615 in various ways, depending upon the processingpower of the multi-aperture imaging system 1605.

The network 1610 can comprise any appropriate network, including anintranet, the Internet, a cellular network, a local area network or anyother such network or combination thereof. User devices 1620 can includeany network-equipped computing device, for example desktop computers,laptops, smartphones, tablets, e-readers, gaming consoles, and the like.For example, results (e.g., classified images) determined by themulti-aperture imaging system 1605 and the datacube analysis servers1615 may be sent to designated user devices of patients, doctors,hospital information systems storing electronic patient medical records,and/or centralized health databases (e.g., of the Center for DiseaseControl) in tissue classification scenarios.

Example Implementation Outcomes

Background: Morbidity and mortality resulting from burns is a majorproblem for wounded warfighters and their care providers. The incidenceof burns among combat casualties has historically been 5-20% withapproximately 20% of these casualties requiring complex burn surgery atthe US Army Institute of Surgical Research (ISR) burn center orequivalent. Burn surgery requires specialized training and is thereforeprovided by ISR staff rather than US Military Hospital staff. Thelimited number of burn specialists leads to high logistical complexityof providing care to burned soldiers. Therefore, a new objective methodof pre-operative and intra-operative detection of burn depth couldenable a broader pool of medical staff, including non-ISR personnel, tobe enlisted in the care of patients with burn wounds sustained incombat. This augmented pool of care providers could then be leveraged toprovide more complex burn care further forward in the role of care ofwarfighters with burn wounds.

In order to begin addressing this need, a novel cart-based imagingdevice that uses multispectral imaging (MSI) and artificial intelligence(AI) algorithms to aide in the preoperative determination of burnhealing potential has been developed. This device acquires images from awide area of tissue (e.g., 5.9×7.9 in2) in a short amount of time (e.g.,within 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 second(s)) and does not require the injectionof imaging contrast agents. This study based in a civilian populationshows that the accuracy of this device in determining burn healingpotential exceeds clinical judgement by burn experts (e.g., 70-80%).

Methods: Civilian subjects with various burn severities were imagedwithin 72 hours of their burn injury and then at several subsequent timepoints up to 7 days post-burn. True burn severity in each image wasdetermined using either 3-week healing assessments or punch biopsies.The accuracy of the device to identify and differentiate healing andnon-healing burn tissue in first, second, and third degree burn injurieswas analyzed on a per image pixel basis.

Results: Data were collected from 38 civilian subjects with 58 totalburns and 393 images. The AI algorithm achieved 87.5% sensitivity and90.7% specificity in predicting non-healing burn tissue.

Conclusions: The device and its AI algorithm demonstrated accuracy indetermining burn healing potential that exceeds the accuracy of clinicaljudgement of burn experts. Future work is focused on redesigning thedevice for portability and evaluating its use in an intra-operativesetting. Design changes for portability include reducing the size of thedevice to a portable system, increasing the field of view, reducingacquisition time to a single snapshot, and evaluating the device for usein an intra-operative setting using a porcine model. These developmentshave been implemented in a benchtop MSI subsystem that shows equivalencyin basic imaging tests.

Additional Illuminants for Image Registration

In various embodiments, one or more additional illuminants may be usedin conjunction with any of the embodiments disclosed herein in order toimprove the accuracy of image registration. FIG. 21 illustrates anexample embodiment of a multi aperture spectral imager 2100 including aprojector 2105. In some embodiments, the projector 2105 or othersuitable illuminant may be, for example, one of the illuminants 1165described with reference to FIG. 12 above. In embodiments including anadditional illuminant such as a projector 2105 for registration, themethod may further include an additional exposure. The additionalilluminant such as the projector 2105 can project, into the field ofview of the imager 2100, one or more points, fringes, grids, randomspeckle, or any other suitable spatial pattern in a spectral band,multiple spectral bands, or in a broad band, that are individually orcumulatively visible in all cameras of the imager 2100. For example, theprojector 2105 may project light of the shared or common channel,broadband illumination, or cumulatively visible illumination that can beused to confirm the accuracy of the registration of the image calculatedbased on the aforementioned common band approach. As used herein,“cumulatively visible illumination” refers to a plurality of wavelengthsselected such that the pattern is transduced by each of the imagesensors in the multi-spectral imaging system. For example, cumulativelyvisible illumination may include a plurality of wavelengths such thatevery channel transduces at least one of the plurality of wavelengths,even if none of the plurality of wavelengths is common to all channels.In some embodiments, the type of pattern projected by the projector 2105may be selected based on the number of apertures in which the patternwill be imaged. For example, if the pattern will be seen by only oneaperture, the pattern may preferably by relatively dense (e.g., may havea relatively narrow autocorrelation such as on the order of 1-10 pixels,20 pixels, less than 50 pixels, less than 100 pixels, etc.), while lessdense or less narrowly autocorrelated patterns may be useful where thepattern will be imaged by a plurality of apertures. In some embodiments,the additional exposure that is captured with the projected spatialpattern is included in the calculation of disparity in order to improvethe accuracy of the registration compared to embodiments without theexposure captured with a projected spatial pattern. In some embodiments,the additional illuminant projects, into the field of view of theimager, fringes in a spectral band, multiple spectral bands, or in abroad band, that are individually or cumulatively visible in allcameras, such as in the shared or common channel, or broadbandillumination which can be used to improve the registration of imagesbased on the phase of fringes. In some embodiments, the additionalilluminant projects, into the field of view of the imager, a pluralityof unique spatial arrangement of dots, grids, and/or speckle in aspectral band, multiple spectral bands, or in a broad band, that areindividually or cumulatively visible in all cameras, such as in theshared or common channel, or broadband illumination which can be used toimprove the registration of images. In some embodiments, the methodfurther includes an additional sensor with a single aperture or aplurality of apertures, which can detect the shape of the object orobjects in the field of view. For example, the sensor may use LIDAR,light field, or ultrasound techniques, to further improve the accuracyof registration of the images using the aforementioned common bandapproach. This additional sensor may be a single aperture or amulti-aperture sensor, sensitive to light-field information, or it maybe sensitive to other signals, such as ultrasound or pulsed lasers.

Terminology

All of the methods and tasks described herein may be performed and fullyautomated by a computer system. The computer system may, in some cases,include multiple distinct computers or computing devices (e.g., physicalservers, workstations, storage arrays, cloud computing resources, etc.)that communicate and interoperate over a network to perform thedescribed functions. Each such computing device typically includes aprocessor (or multiple processors) that executes program instructions ormodules stored in a memory or other non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium or device (e.g., solid state storage devices, diskdrives, etc.). The various functions disclosed herein may be embodied insuch program instructions, or may be implemented in application-specificcircuitry (e.g., ASICs or FPGAs) of the computer system. Where thecomputer system includes multiple computing devices, these devices may,but need not, be co-located. The results of the disclosed methods andtasks may be persistently stored by transforming physical storagedevices, such as solid-state memory chips or magnetic disks, into adifferent state. In some embodiments, the computer system may be acloud-based computing system whose processing resources are shared bymultiple distinct business entities or other users.

The disclosed processes may begin in response to an event, such as on apredetermined or dynamically determined schedule, on demand wheninitiated by a user or system administer, or in response to some otherevent. When the process is initiated, a set of executable programinstructions stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia (e.g., hard drive, flash memory, removable media, etc.) may beloaded into memory (e.g., RAM) of a server or other computing device.The executable instructions may then be executed by a hardware-basedcomputer processor of the computing device. In some embodiments, theprocess or portions thereof may be implemented on multiple computingdevices and/or multiple processors, serially or in parallel.

Depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or functions of anyof the processes or algorithms described herein can be performed in adifferent sequence, can be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g.,not all described operations or events are necessary for the practice ofthe algorithm). Moreover, in certain embodiments, operations or eventscan be performed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or onother parallel architectures, rather than sequentially.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, routines, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein can be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., ASICs or FPGAdevices), computer software that runs on computer hardware, orcombinations of both. Moreover, the various illustrative logical blocksand modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein can be implemented or performed by a machine, such as a processordevice, a digital signal processor (“DSP”), an application specificintegrated circuit (“ASIC”), a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. A processor device can be amicroprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor device can be acontroller, microcontroller, or state machine, combinations of the same,or the like. A processor device can include electrical circuitryconfigured to process computer-executable instructions. In anotherembodiment, a processor device includes an FPGA or other programmabledevice that performs logic operations without processingcomputer-executable instructions. A processor device can also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. Although described herein primarily with respect todigital technology, a processor device may also include primarily analogcomponents. For example, some or all of the rendering techniquesdescribed herein may be implemented in analog circuitry or mixed analogand digital circuitry. A computing environment can include any type ofcomputer system, including, but not limited to, a computer system basedon a microprocessor, a mainframe computer, a digital signal processor, aportable computing device, a device controller, or a computationalengine within an appliance, to name a few.

The elements of a method, process, routine, or algorithm described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodieddirectly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processordevice, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside inRAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory,registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium. An exemplary storagemedium can be coupled to the processor device such that the processordevice can read information from, and write information to, the storagemedium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to theprocessor device. The processor device and the storage medium can residein an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative,the processor device and the storage medium can reside as discretecomponents in a user terminal.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,”“might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically statedotherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, isgenerally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, whileother embodiments do not include, certain features, elements or steps.Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply thatfeatures, elements or steps are in any way required for one or moreembodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logicfor deciding, with or without other input or prompting, whether thesefeatures, elements or steps are included or are to be performed in anyparticular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,”and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-endedfashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts,operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusivesense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example,to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all ofthe elements in the list.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may beeither X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, or Z). Thus,such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not,imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least oneof Y, and at least one of Z to each be present.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features as applied to various embodiments, it can beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theform and details of the devices or algorithms illustrated can be madewithout departing from the scope of the disclosure. As can berecognized, certain embodiments described herein can be embodied withina form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forthherein, as some features can be used or practiced separately fromothers. All changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multispectral imaging method comprising, undercontrol of one or more processors of an imaging system: causingsimultaneous illumination of an area of tissue with light of three ormore wavebands by controlling activation of individual ones of aplurality of light emitters; receiving at least one signal generated byat least one image sensor based on a reflected portion of the light,wherein the reflected portion is reflected by the area of tissue andpasses through a multi-bandpass filter disposed between the area oftissue and the at least one image sensor, the multi-bandpass filterconfigured to allow passage of light in the three or more wavebands;processing the at least one signal to generate a plurality ofmultispectral images depicting at least a portion of the area of tissue;and performing spectral unmixing to generate a plurality ofsingle-waveband images depicting at least a portion of the area oftissue, each single-waveband image corresponding to one of the three ormore wavebands.
 2. The multispectral imaging method of claim 1, furthercomprising performing one or more diagnostic analyses, using at leastone machine learning algorithm, based at least in part on the pluralityof single-waveband images or a multispectral datacube generated based onthe plurality of single-waveband images.
 3. The multispectral imagingmethod of claim 2, wherein the at least a portion of the area of tissuecomprises at least a portion of tissue that is damaged.
 4. Themultispectral imaging method of claim 3, wherein performing the one ormore diagnostic analyses comprises generating a scalar valuecorresponding to a predicted amount of healing of at least a portion ofthe damaged tissue over a predetermined time interval followinggeneration of the image.
 5. The multispectral imaging method of claim 4,wherein the scalar value corresponds to a probability that at least aportion of the damaged tissue will achieve a predetermined percent areareduction (PAR) threshold within the predetermined time interval.
 6. Themultispectral imaging method of claim 2, wherein performing the one ormore diagnostic analyses comprises classifying portions of the area oftissue into a plurality of tissue categories.
 7. The multispectralimaging method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of tissue categoriescomprise at least two tissue classification states selected from thegroup consisting of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, remodeling,and healthy skin.
 8. The multispectral imaging method of claim 6,wherein performing the one or more diagnostic analyses comprisesidentifying healthy tissue adjacent to damaged tissue within the area oftissue.
 9. The multispectral imaging method of claim 2, whereinperforming the one or more diagnostic analyses comprises at least oneselected from the group consisting of determining an excision marginand/or depth, monitoring a recovery process after implantation of aprosthetic, evaluating viability of a tissue graft or regenerative cellimplant, and monitoring surgical recovery.
 10. The multispectral imagingmethod of claim 2, wherein the one or more diagnostic analyses arefurther based at least in part on at least one patient metriccorresponding to a patient having the area of tissue.
 11. Themultispectral imaging method of claim 10, wherein the at least onepatient metric is provided as a further input to the at least onemachine learning algorithm in addition to the plurality ofsingle-waveband images or the multispectral datacube generated based onthe plurality of single-waveband images.
 12. The multispectral imagingmethod of claim 10, wherein the at least one patient metric is used toselect an instance of the at least one machine learning algorithm from aplurality of instances.
 13. The multispectral imaging method of claim12, wherein the selected instance is trained with training dataassociated with patients having the same at least one patient metric.14. The multispectral imaging method of claim 10, wherein the at leastone patient health metric comprises a vector representation of acharacteristic of the patient or of a health status of the patent. 15.The multispectral imaging method of claim 10, wherein the at least onepatient metric is selected from the group consisting of an area of awound, lesion, or ulcer; a body mass index (BMI) of the patient; adiabetic status of the patient; existence of peripheral vascular diseaseor chronic inflammation in the patient; a number of other wounds thepatient has or has had; whether the patient is taking or has recentlytaken immunosuppressant drugs or other drugs that positively oradversely affect wound healing rate; HbA1c; chronic kidney failure staveIV; a diabetes type of the patient; chronic anemia; asthma; drug use;smoking status; diabetic neuropathy; deep vein thrombosis; previousmyocardial infarction; transient ischemic attacks; and sleep apnea. 16.The multispectral imaging method of claim 2, wherein performing the oneor more diagnostic analyses comprises evaluating a change in a tissuecondition or generation of healthy tissue after presentation of damagedtissue, after administration of a therapeutic agent.
 17. Themultispectral imaging method of claim 16, wherein the therapeutic agentis selected from the group consisting of a steroid, hepatocyte growthfactor, fibroblast growth factor, an antibiotic, and regenerative cells.18. The multispectral imaging method of claim 2, wherein the at least aportion of the area of tissue comprises tissue affected by at least onecondition selected from the group consisting of a decubitus ulcer,hyperaemia, limb deterioration, Raynaud's phenomenon, scleroderma, achronic wound, abrasion, laceration, hemorrhaging, a rupture injury, apuncture, a penetrating wound, skin cancer, and an abnormal skin state.19. The multispectral imaging method of claim 1, wherein the at leastone image sensor comprises a multi-channel image sensor.
 20. Themultispectral imaging method of claim 19, wherein the multi-channelimage sensor comprises an RGB sensor.
 21. The multispectral imagingmethod of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are configured toperform the spectral unmixing based at least in part on channel-specificimage data generated at the multi-channel image sensor.
 22. Themultispectral imaging method of claim 1, further comprising classifyingeach of a plurality of pixels depicting the at least a portion of thearea of tissue into healthy tissue or skin categories.
 23. Themultispectral imaging method of claim 22, further comprising generatinga classified mapping of the at least a portion of the area of tissue,wherein each of the plurality of pixels, which represent specific pointsof the area of tissue, is assigned to a certain tissue classification,or to a certain healing potential score.
 24. The multispectral imagingmethod of claim 23, further comprising outputting the classified mappingto a user.
 25. The multispectral imaging method of claim 24, furthercomprising projecting the classified mapping onto the area of tissue.26. The multispectral imaging method of claim 1, further comprisingclassifying or monitoring tissue change of the at least a portion of thearea of tissue, wherein a nature and quality of the at least a portionof the area of tissue differs from a normal state.
 27. The multispectralimaging method of claim 26, wherein the classifying or monitoring tissuechange comprises classifying or monitoring a severity of decubitusulcers, hyperaemia, limb deterioration, Raynaud's Phenomenon,scleroderma, a chronic wound, an abrasion, a laceration, hemorrhaging,rupture injury, puncture, penetrating wound, skin cancer, actinickeratosis, or any type of tissue change.